1. Presence of the one thought lost: just listen…

Listen to your heart…

She used to do that.

No more since that tragedy.

It was unpredictable and not even something pleasant to think about. It was a simple tragedy. And furthermore, she couldn't understand why this had occurred to her, of all the people around. Why was she chosen to face this mischief truth of her family's past? Why was she blamed for her siblings' mistakes? Why was she punished so?

Every time she tried to fly, she fell without her wings, she felt so small… every time she saw them in her dreams, she saw their faces; it was haunting her…

She often thought of taking her own life as to continue this pain, into the other world, on a different dimension, where she was sure she might be eternally alone. Since this reality-world had disappointed her greatly, by making her falsely believe that surrounded by people, she wouldn't feel alone. But she was wrong. Terribly wrong, as she sensed every day that she would go to her own destruction and no one would notice.

Sure, they would support her with food and they would talk to her as much as possible, but never would they hug her or kiss her forehead every night and tell her stories, so to tuck her into her soft bed and open the door to her midnight dreams.

Every night would be windy and the coil taking away all the whispers she would give through her trembling lips. She would tell the winds her secret and why she had cried for so many nights and still torture her eyes with such watery feelings.

'I hate living…'

We must learn to live the living and haunt not the dead was the wind's answer and she would never understand it. And every night she would spend it on top of the Village's hospital, where she had always thought of seeing them again and again in complete quietness, without bothering the people there. She would look at the sky and almost know every star that would have died or give birth to another.

She knew the stars best. She knew every each and one of them.

Gaara of the Desert felt extremely tired. All that paperwork to do and he had only been gone for a few days just to visit his only friend, Uzumaki Naruto in Konoha.

It was almost midnight and he hadn't have any breakfast, just to double that amount of paperwork and have a little more to do for tomorrow. He didn't feel satisfied though. It was tiring and it was even more tiring when others would come unexpectedly, while his usual walks through the village. He hadn't been Kazekage for too long in Suna and there were still the elders thinking of him as a creature to fear or at least, a two-bladed sword. Still, the children of this village looked up to him in silence and he had often heard Temari most of the boys wanted to become as strong as he.

The fact that he was now able to sleep normally, ever since the Shukaku had been extracted from his inside, was a blessing. He liked dreaming. It was his only holiday to be afforded without spending a dime or without any paper-work. Or at least, the only place where he could burn them without giving any explanation.

In reality, he knew that this paper-work wasn't actually always there to annoy him. The business with being a Kazekage wasn't easy and it wasn't even meant to be easy either. It was a task for great men. Protecting a village from any harm to possibly occur wasn't enough. If that were all, then all he'd do would be to twitch his as on a chair every day and only occasionally take a walk through the borders to see any disturbances. Still, the paperwork was sometimes something too much to bear.

There were times when he wished to throw them out through the window and then just blame it on the windy weather. Then again, that was a childish thing to do. Even though he was 15, that didn't mean that he was a child. On the contrary, he knew that life was now considering him an adult, even at this young age, and that his duties were as equal – or even higher – as an adult. He was the Kazekage and everything he would have to do would be to fulfill his duties to the complete satisfaction that he had dealt with them seriously.

He drew away form his desk, which Temari had insisted on decorating it with seldom pictures of their so-called-family. There were only three of them. One with him, his brothers and Baki, another one with him and Matsuri and his brothers' subordinates. And finally there was one with him only, and his siblings. Temari was smiling joyfully, Kankurou was rather hesitating on that, but only he seemed gloomy and boringly serious.

He had changed indeed, since Naruto had brought him back to life. He was forever grateful to that blonde warm-hearted so-called-idiot boy. Still, even though his siblings had asked to become more like a normal person, he still couldn't deal so much with things like that. After all, he had been "the bad guy" for more than 13 years and only changed totally in a rather brief period of time. It was hard, but yet he was going to take it slow. Slow, but sure. At least, even with one step at a time, he could still recover all the time that had been lost by now.

He drew back, from his desk and headed for his beautiful inn, to get some rest.

His morning walk was as nice as usual. He would check up the buildings, see whether people were happy or not, sometimes nodding politely when people would greet him in the morning.

He sensed that the children from the ninja school were always gathering every time he'd pass that building. They seemed fascinated by him, in a way, especially the boys.

He was never in to girls that much. Even though he had seldom heard conversations where girls would call him "good-looking and elite-type", he couldn't do much about it, since the things he had to do to become normal were to be taken slowly. After all, he wasn't actually the least bit interested in what kind of love he would have to face at an opposite sex.

There was a gathering of streets, a weird neighborhood which he never seemed to have visited. Not that he was hesitating or so, but it simply did not occur to him that this might be a good detour for you to calm down your thoughts, before heading in the front line for the war with the paperwork.

As he stopped in front of the entrance which would lead him to that particular neighborhood, he remembered he had some papers which he had to sign, in order to give permission for the built of several institutions in that area.

There were several collapsed buildings and there were workers who were cleaning up the place. Some were measuring the surroundings; others were arguing about how much high they should do the future built buildings. So, it was all planned, since he had signed those paper works into agreeing that this narrow neighborhood should be fixed up to Suna's expectancies.

Some of the men there saw him and greeted him politely.

'Good morning to you, lord Kazekage!'

He answered back, respectfully nodding his head in silence. After that, he headed back for his burrow, where he had to finish that darn paperwork. He was also expecting some other coming.

Suddenly, he sensed someone's presence behind him somewhere. As he stopped, he noticed that whoever it was it also stopped moving. He started to walk again. The person moved hurryingly behind some buildings not far from him.

He stopped again and waited in silence, to fool the pursuer. Suddenly, he swiftly turned, with a deadly-like gaze.

She startled frightened and hid behind the building.

Gaara startled too, surprised. He hadn't expected to be a woman. What he had seen was a girl, indeed, since she had gotten out a hearable adolescent's sound, which defined her fright.

He could only see some tiny fingers holding the wall firmly, but trembling visibly. He turned his entire body towards her. It scared her to bits, since she swiftly moaned and ran as fast as she could, far away from his presence.

She was dressed in a long and weirdly-like black dress, with her black hair dancing in the morning wind. She held a small and worn-out dagger and she was barefooted.

Gaara stood in his place silent, trying to understand what could make her fear him so. Was it because he was only known as a Shukaku beholder and now was still prudently observed because of his mysteriously cruel and impassible nature? He believed that might have been the only reasonable explanation for the fact that that little lady had ran off in such a hurry.

He turned and headed back for his burrow, without thinking of it anymore.

2. Words of better moments: they meet…

Kankurou had returned later that day, to bring new reports from that sect called Akatsuki. He couldn't make any sense of what his brother talked, since his mind swiftly flew elsewhere. But soon enough, they got out of his burrow, on a walk, with no particular destination, since Gaara was continuously reading from whatever the Akatsuki report said. Something about Uchiha Itachi and Deidara and a new member, the so-called Tobi and other Jinchuuriki beholders getting caught and ending up as he had once did, before Naruto could save him.

Finding that out made him what he supposed of thought was melancholy, since he felt like drowning every damn member of the Akatsuki into Sabaku Taisou.

Still, he kept calm and kept on reading the report, until he found himself back again on his chair, at his desk, in his burrow.

He also noticed Kankurou no longer followed him. He was now alone, in his office, with his paperwork, waiting for his signature.

He sighed, feeling that the idea with the flying papers out the window due to a strong coil was about to become a worn-out lie. But no! He was the Kazekage! The Kazekage, Gaara, the Kazekage…

He sighed again, this time, drawing his eyes towards the Suna through his wide round glass window. It was a nice Village, since the day-break had not taken its spirit away. The people were doing their business quietly and without any disturbance whatsoever.

He looked at the narrow neighborhood where he had stopped to watch this morning. He sighed. Some of the older buildings were gone now and the people there had already started cleaning up the place to start building new constructions.

It was a sunny afternoon and the sun had its razes falling over Suna like a pail of golden blessings under a warm round orange.

At the eastern borders, there wasn't much to say, since Temari and her men were checking up every corner.

For now, everything seemed calm, as so Gaara thought.

With a swift thought, he remembered the girl this morning, running away so frightened of him. Was he this scary when in the past? He was probably worse than that. If only he could have had the ability of erasing everything about his past. He would have done so and probably write a different history.

Still, the evil had already been done and there was nothing that he could do, so he could change it. He returned back to face his lonely burrow. What if he was to jump over this paperwork again and delay it for later, so that now he could do a bit of exercise, whilst taking a walk around? Maybe even check that old neighborhood, instead. No one would blame him for delaying that darn signature over some papers, just because he tried to see how things were going with the reconstruction of a new zone in Suna.

When he saw himself on the streets again, he suddenly felt foolish, as to acting like a child. He was running from some bloody paperwork… what could have been more foolish than that? It was a stupid child's game.

Sooner or later, he would have to do with that political murder, eating his days out.

He sniffed and was just about to turn back and get inside the building, when he stopped, hearing some deaf noises.

His witty ninja nose hadn't lost its senses. He was good at feeling other people's presence, especially if the people were common.

He turned his gaze towards something which looked like a little cottage. Someone was probably hiding there. He saw the same half of hand, which was tiny and hiding the owner's body behind the wall of the house. The tiny fingers were skinny and were trembling on the pieces of rock put together.

He turned with his entire body towards that place. He put his hands up front, preparing himself for any sudden attack.

'Get out of there, I sense your smell' he ordered with his low, distant voice.

Nothing happened for the next minutes; at least, nothing that could be classified as sudden and quick.

The soft and small hand trembled still on the wall, while getting into his sight a skinny arm. It was pale.

Less than half of a person came out from behind that wall. It was a girl. She had the same black, weirdly-like dress from this morning and her hair was dancing around, through the cold breeze. She hid her face shyly.

He let his hands down, as he recognized the girl from this morning. He put his arms back at his chest, twisting them into masculine indifference.

'I won't harm you' he added, rather softer than earlier.

He slightly saw her lips coming out from their hiding place into an enigmatic smile. She rather seemed like giggling, somewhat shyly.

His eyes no longer watched her ugly, but rather serious and just plain. He waited in silence for her to utterly come out from her hiding spot.

She did so very slow.

First, she drew her foot, hidden inside her dress, then, her hand leaned against the wall, like trying to search for a secret passage way in between the bricks of the wall, and she only got out entirely, as for Gaara to see a pale-skinned younger girl than him. She must have been 13 or 14, with too slim forms, a black, long dress, weirdly tightened up at her skinny waist, her black hair as long as to cover her full back torso, even more than that, with her head held too deep towards the ground, and her hands still faintly trembling, with her old dagger in between her fingers.

She was confused as to how to act in front of the Kazekage, so, she lifted her palms, entwined like in a prayer and fell on her knees, lifting her entangled arms high above her head.

Her gesture seemed that of a slave's, which Gaara didn't exactly like. He never saw anybody this respectful to his title. It was as if she had always dealt with people entirely higher as a rank than hers.

She got up on her feet, still careful enough not to let her head higher than his. That's why he couldn't catch her eyes at all.

'What is your name?' he asked simply.

She didn't move from her position, nor did she say anything. Her palm rapidly stretched in the back until reaching the wall. She wrote some hieroglyphs on the sand of the walls: "Chimyou".

She backed up without even checking whether he had read whatever she had wrote there.

'Your name is Chimyou?' he asked.

She nodded softly.

'And you cannot speak?'

She denied softly.

He watched her thoughtfully. He had never met a mute before. Nor did he meet such a respectful and obedient girl. The only girls he had made contact with were Naruto's friends, Matsuri and of course, Temari. The other women might have been opponents but none to get too close to him as to have a real conversation with him and establish certain relationships.

She seemed too weird for the types he had to deal with until now. Still, he didn't know what to do exactly, so he just turned and was about to leave.

But as his face revolved to his left shoulder, as to look at her once more, he saw her leaning against the wall, crouched on the ground and with her hand stretching upon the wall of the house. It was a weird, melancholic position, since it was odd by its status and special by its significance. She looked like a painting which had a subtle connotation.

He tried to think why someone would like to stay like that, so suggestively. She must have had something into her soul which made her do that.

'Chimyou?' someone called her suddenly. From the house, on whose wall her hand laid stretched, came an old lady, who smiled pleasantly at the sight of Gaara.

'Oh, good afternoon, lord Kazekage…'

She bended shortly, respectfully and the boy saluted her in a quiet manner, by nodding his head politely.

He then saw the old lady grabbing the girl's arm and pulling her up on her feet, while saying:

'Come, dear. I promised I'd feed you this afternoon, and so I shall. We are having ramen tonight, so you better join us. Come, Chimyou-chan.'

The woman lifted her up on her feet and dragged her inside the house, while drawing a last smile to Gaara. The door was shut after that.

Gaara of the Desert stood there in his place for a few minutes more before finally deciding to really deal with the paperwork once and for all.

3. Water like as a rendezvous: saving her life…

'I was wrong; we are not these bodies alone'

She had said that, even as resting on the hospital's roof. She was staring at the stars on the sky, trying to recognize the constellations.

We walk in the dream the wind seemed to draw its answer.

She stood continuously quiet after that, even when coming off from the roof and resting her legs on the ground. She still watched the sky thoughtfully, as she headed for her home alone.

At one point, she had to face the narrow streets again, as to cross them and reach her humble home.

There was a tavern at the ending of the street, with several men laughing and trembling drunk, while enjoying some good company and good sake.

She crossed the place without addressing it the slightest look. Suddenly, one man got up from his seat and looked at her, while bursting:

'Hey, there, girlie! Aren't you Chimyou, that priestess' daughter? You should be careful through these joints, my dear, you might get in trouble'

He started to laugh out of no reason and she got really frightened, as she furthered away from that place, beginning to run.

'Hey, stop there, girlie!' she heard in behind her, but she didn't listen to whatever those people said to her, since she kept on running fast and frightened. Suddenly, as she was running, she stumbled on a rock and fell on the hot springs, near the west borders. It was an artificial hot spring, but it turned her face into boiling and hurting her. She screamed suddenly and she started to trouble around since she couldn't swim.

She screamed and she disturbed the waters, but no one could hear her apparently, so she swiftly let herself go and let the waters deepen her inside, while her hand stood up still searching for a bit of hope. The waters were filling her lungs with haste and it occurred to her that she could no longer breathe normally.

She opened her mouth several times, as to try hard and get back some air, but the waters got her deeper through the waves.

Suddenly, her fingers touched the soft skin of someone else's hand and the firm foreign grip got her out of the hot spring. She coughed hard, as to get back the air she had lost from her lungs. She coughed and she coughed until the water was all cleared up from her lungs.

After she felt better, she tried to look at her savior, but ended up screaming suddenly in surprise, escaping form his hands and falling in the waters again.

Gaara got her out again, as he added:

'Stay calm'

She firmly grabbed his leg, as she noticed him standing on water with wires of chakra coming out of his soles. She still coughed, when he grabbed her arms and pulled her so that she could stand at the same level as he. He then put her on ground quietly:

'I suppose you're safe now.'

He also put his feet on the ground, as she was still trying to recover form the shock. She then drew her look down, with her hair still covering her face.

He watched her quietly for a few minutes, thinking that it was a good thing for her that he couldn't sleep, otherwise he couldn't have heard her screams and come and save her.

He turned to leave for his house, which was near these artificial hot springs.

'Ari…gato…' he suddenly heard a soft voice and turned his gaze to look upon her.

Suddenly, as he revolved, she sort of fainted and got inside the hot waters again, as she deepened this time as swift as the heaviest thing. He had no time of grabbing her arm.

And he couldn't use his sand now, to save her. In the end, he decided to get in the water and pull her out the old-fashioned way.

Her eyes opened up, when she sensed something foreign and soft under her skin. She was resting in a large bed, in the darkness of a room, much more different than hers. In fact, hers was so small it could only fit one person. This room seemed large enough to fit two more.

Outside was a sand storm, and the wind was blowing hard. She saw the entire village of Suna through the round small window.

Candles were around, as to create a sort of softer light than that of a bulk's. the sheets were too white for her and she thought that she had to get away form here, not as to dirty it with her wretched miserable body. Everything seemed so clean and untouched.

Still, she only lifted half of her body, since she started to cough again.

'Stay still' said a low masculine voice and she promptly started to tremble. Her gaze turned upon the frontal side of the room, where, on a chair a boy was resting, watching her with his arms entwined at his chest, with the sort of masculine indignation. Still, the look on his face suggested more like indifferent and cold-hearted thinking, rather than indignation.

As she recognized the Kazekage, she now really thought that she had to get out of there. How dare to her dirty flesh to rest upon such a man's bed?! He was the Kazekage and she was… nothing… still, she didn't know what to do. So, she remained there to tremble.

Gaara got off his chair and approached her, as he saw her quiver so frightened and wondered whether she really believed that he would harm her or not. He finally saw her eyes, as she accidentally drew them as to check who he was. Her eyes had the color of a weird red. It wasn't too light and it wasn't too dark. It was just too weird to look into them. It was as if the name "Chimyou" given to her had a perfectly reasonable explanation. It was like… like he was looking into a river of circling blood. It seemed to have reminded him of his past murders. He backed up a few steps away form the bed, and let his head down thoughtfully.

It scared her, what he had done, since she instantly covered her face and got out of her bed, as she quickly attached herself to the wall behind her. she let her look too deep on the ground, and tried to somehow beg for mercy, as her arms again mixed in that like in a prayer's.

'F-forgive me…'

The water that had remained in her lungs caused her a rather unbalance and made her fall on the floor with a deaf sound. Still, she couldn't disrespect him so as to watching into his eyes. It had seemed that her gaze had disposed him. She quickly searched the door with her bloody sight and tried to get out, so she could find her way back through the streets and leave.

'S-stay still' she suddenly heard him. 'Sit on the bed.'

She did so as she was told. She remained quiet and swiftly stopped her trembling.

Gaara didn't know exactly what to do so he remained quiet for the next few minutes, before asking:

'You are alright now. I will not harm you.'

She slightly looked at him, hesitation, seeing him with his white cloak covering his body so elegantly and she suddenly understood why she had loved him so much these years.

When he was a little boy, she used to watch him continuously and even return home too late. When he grew up into a fearsome bastard, she seemed to be the only one who still remained following him secretly and watching him still. When he started to change into a good person, her heart trembled with the same joy as to realize that now her beloved was about to become loved by others and suffer no more.

When he had died and came back alive, she had blessed that blonde Konoha ninja a thousand times every day, for keeping her heart's desire still alive. She loved him. She loved Gaara of the Desert before she knew she had done so. Now, that he was the Kazekage, she knew for sure he might not look at the likes of her, but he had remained all that her happiness ceased, since that tragedy with her family. The only thing that could have kept her alive would be to see him living, breathing and respected by the others.

She knew, as she had known from the start that she loved him and she will always do, no matter what choices he had to make until the last of his days.

Gaara looked at her, as she studied him silently. He saw then that she drew the same enigmatic and shy smile, from that morning. She even covered her face with her hair, as to refuse his jaded stare see her cheeks turning so red.

She was really weird, since she had been acting until now like she had feared him, and now she seemed so calm and even smiling about something. She was definitely odd.

He sniffed:

'You may rest in my bed until next morning. I shall attend to a medical nin, so he could check you.'

He was about to get out of the room. After all, he didn't use the bed too much. Even though the Shukaku had been extracted from him and he could now sleep proper, he still remained to this habit of losing nights.

When the paperwork would stress out his brains, he would give it a shot and sleep so deep that no one could wake him up. Not now, though.

He couldn't sleep, so it was only to the benefit of the housekeeper that she would continue her business at his inn, since now he had an unexpected visitor, sleeping in his bed.

When closing the door behind him, he stood quiet for a few minutes, thoughtfully. In the end, he headed back to his personal desk, where he could continue his paperwork.

4. Merchandizing the stares: knowing Suna…

The next morning, Temari was asked to bring a medical nin at the Kazekage's house and to her surprise, she faced a young girl, younger than her little brother, who had a weird blood-like look on her face, her clothes were mostly wet and she smelled like a nice hot spring.

The doctor checked her in and fortunately found her not at all ill. He then head back to his business, while, letting the girl still rest in the Kazekage's bedroom.

Gaara and Temari went out of his room in complete quietness, before she could add:

'Ok, Gaara, who is she?'

'Her name is Chimyou'

'Chimyou? Chimyou who? Look, this is weird of you, to do so. I mean, yes, you did change but I wouldn't imagine you saving a girl's life so much as to let her stay in your room, in your bed.'

'I don't use that bed too much' he gave a swift answer.

'That's not what I expected you to say. You realize she's a complete stranger, don't you? How did she come up to this?'

'She was about to drown in the hot springs last night. I saved her life'

'And a point still for my little brother!' another voice was heard behind them, this time rather joyful.

Temari watched her even older brother:

'Kankurou, don't tell me you agree on this. Even though Gaara was well intended, he's still the Kazekage and he mustn't be this careless!'

'I like what he did. He saved that girl's life, it's a good start.'

'Stop it, you're making it sound like it's the greatest thing he's done so far!'

She looked at both her brothers, with fright:

'What if…! What if she's a spy or something? And she was infiltrated here to play the perfect defenseless girl who just had to reach the Kazekage's bedroom and then stab him in the back the next minute?'

'You're taking this too far, Temari' Kankurou replied. 'Don't you see Gaara still lying here before you, safe and sound? What more could you want?'

As his brothers started a serious but rather confusing argument, Gaara lied quiet, trying to analyze both of their points of view.

At one point, Kankurou sniffed:

'Alright, I'll have her checked up by the time she leaves this place. Is that alright with you, then, Temari?'

'No, no it's not! What if she's a skillful ninja and now knows where my brother lives and where his room is?!'

'Gaara is not a child anymore, Temari, you should at least give him credit for being the Kazekage. He's not entirely dumb. In fact, he's smarter than we'll ever be! You make it sound like he's still that defenseless Shukaku beholder. Damn it, that monster's been extracted from him for some time now!'

'I'm sorry!' she bumped all of a sudden. 'I'm sorry; I really am, I'm sorry, Gaara…'

Her eyes meant only the best for him and he knew that. He didn't say anything, but he did nod affectionately.

'Alright then, I'll leave you to it' Kankurou added softer and then left them both on the hall.

Temari followed him quieter. Gaara remained and watched them both, as he knew that the way they were acting with him was only because they were his older brothers who loved him dearly and were afraid for his life. Still, the girl way of being of Temari's was drowning her sometimes into being too mommy-like. Kankurou seemed to have enough faith in him already. He was the Kazekage after all.

When he had returned from his burrow, to his bedroom in his inn, later at night, he saw the bed was already arranged as it was usually found, and the girl was gone, probably left, not to take advantage too much of his kindness. He remained a few minutes thinking of her, from this morning and also last night, but then went to bed, as he was too tired from all that darn paperwork.

'Big girls don't cry…' she muttered, as she came across the central piazza of Suna. The people there had a lot of work to do, since trading was one of the newest things about Suna, ever since the Kazekage established unbreakable bonds between his Hidden Village and Konoha, of the Country of Leaf. The trading consisted of food, weaponry, animals, jewelry, mostly any goods that could be of great use to Suna. The people from this village never had such a devoted friend in Konoha so it was only to the best benefit that their Kazekage had tight friendships with one of the Five Great Nations.

Just now some foreign merchandisers came on foot or by carriage to bring new goods to the piazza. It was a noisy business and often too loud to be ignored.

She used to help through the market-places by arranging different stuffs to their places, playing around with the animals and keeping them safe by making them feel calm, sometimes chatting with the sellers, especially the old ones, so they would get too bored.

She loved to listen to people's stories of their lives, no matter the dullness of it all. Whether people would tell her weird stories, or as common as they could get, she wouldn't mind, as long as her hears had the pleasure of listening to something which could easily take the shape of a story.

Some ninjas were seen patrolling the market place and she often watched them shortly or rather thoughtfully, as to understand a bit of their nature, hidden inside that tough mask of theirs. After all, she believed that no matter the hardest training they had followed, they were human and had their weaknesses.

She thought of Gaara and tried to think of any weakness that he might have. It was a rather difficult task, since loving him made her believe that he was impenetrable and surely too strong to be that humanly weak. Still, her objectiveness had a neck for trying to humanize every living creature, no matter the highest strength in it. Even Gaara had his weaknesses, she thought. It was out of order if he were to lack of those.

She remained, taking care of some sheep, to sell and she lifted a tiny baby-sheep, while caressing its fluffy wool.

The lamb got out its usual "be-he-he" as to call its mother, but since no sheep would answer to the tiny creature, she hugged him like a mother, as hearing the people's different languages, accents and dialects. Heading for the piazza and living among such beings would have been a totally hopeless mission, if you were to believe it was easy.

There were too many people, too many different personalities, with their own traditions, their own dreams, hopes and habits.

When she was younger, things like these were very rare in Suna and seeing a foreign new-comer was indeed something special, which you couldn't face every day of the year. Ever since Gaara got on his noble title of Kazekage, this new wave of promises came up so sudden that people just had to get used to it. It was a wonderful feeling, that when she was listening to totally different dialects than that of her own.

As she looked into the future, she believed that Suna will have been gone too far by the time of her adultness.

She helped the old lady with selling her sheep, the same old lady who had invited her for dinner, the night before she got saved by the Kazekage. She preferred not to remember that incident, not that it would have made her feel uncomfortable. On the contrary. It was just that it made her blush to explosion in her cheeks and would have dared stay like this all day, until bursting into laugher every time someone would ask her about her health at the sight of her red-like-lobster face.

She hadn't thought of it all day, but she had dreamt of it at night.

So passed other two days, since the Kazekage had saved her life.

Gaara was done with most of the paperwork. Now, others would appear, any time now, but he didn't exactly mind it any more. He had decided to take things to their utmost seriousness. So, now that the business wasn't fully complete, but at least to its lighter solution, he decided to visit some of the patients – Suna ninjas, hurt from the previous missions – as to check upon his men and even gather other information about the world outside the Country of Wind.

He dressed up, as he would usually do when no longer working through the title of Kazekage. His dark crimson costume, with his leather brownish vest was surrounded elegantly by his white large mantle and he armed himself with his usual gourd, as he would not use it so often nowadays, but it was present for any possibility.

He went down the street and faced the so restless piazza in the central point of Suna. Everyone had business of their own, but some were so tight in their conversation that they would hardly recognize someone as illustrious as the Kazekage himself.

Still, Gaara did not want to be recognized among his people. Even though all they would do was to greet him politely, this entire Kazekage business had tired him into wishing quite frequently that he would soon play the role of a common ninja, rather than the greatest of this kind.

The gourd would usually be the visible sign to bash his disguise. Still, today, as so most of these busy days, he would go unseen or rather unnoticed even with his huge heavy rocky-like container of sand.

The people around were merchandisers of the finest types and they would come across with many of the weirdest and newest things ever built. It was Konoha to be thanked for this open-gates ceremony, since both Suna and Konoha were now well bonded, thus any foreign merchandizing between other Hidden Villages and Konoha had to deal with Suna equally.

No wonder in a Wednesday afternoon like this, people would be so busy and so, the piazza was filled with mixtures of dialects and accents and weird languages.

As a military basic, Suna was prepared with the finest men, since they again received help from Konoha and thus established fine Ninja schools, filled with youngsters of great potential.

Every day, the gates and the borders would be fully checked of any damages or traps set by enemies and every day, reports would be brought to the Kazekage as to inform him of any sudden or old changes. The paperwork wasn't done for anything and Gaara knew that better than anybody else.

When he had been kidnapped by the Akatsuki, with Deidara's sudden explosions which turned him into loosing a fairly quantity of chakra, just so his precious home-village wouldn't be damaged, Gaara remained with that constant prudent way of being and taking any precaution that was meant to be taken. It was only natural that every morning pails of papers were to rest ahead of him, on his desk. It was a boring and awful business, but someone had to do it, for the benefit of seeing such a lively day in Suna.

He had passed the booths on which lied many of greatest human arts – jewelry, small house decorations and other minorities of that kind – also passed the florists' market spot, where his nose almost turned selfish at smelling one too many scents at the same time and ended up finally crossing the last part of the piazza, the animal merchandisers.

Horses, cattle, and quite a high number of awkward birds were resting ahead of the client, so he may choose whichever he pleased.

The hospital lied in front of him, as being on of the highest buildings in Suna. Just a few miles away form him.

At one point, just crossing some sellers dealing with some clients about advertising several horses, his ears pricked when hearing a man's voice scarcely shouting annoyed:

'Dear lord me, Chimyou! Watch with that horse, child, I only breed them twice a year!'

'S-sumimase…'

She took the horse's reins and pulled them gently, as to stretch her hand and touch the animal's face:

'There, there, dear… no one's going to hurt you…'

The tall and imposing animal was a precious mustang from the Hidden Village of the Country of Fire and it simply calmed down when hearing her voice. She smiled nicely to the animal, and then turned to the next one, a grey horse. She started to put a bridle around the second's snout, often speaking to him or whispering things like tiny secrets, which only they both knew.

Gaara had stopped and had watched her for quite some time now, before the merchandiser could recognize him and bow respectfully to him:

'Oh, lord Kazekage… have a pleasant afternoon, sir…'

He bowed his head as a quiet answer, but the words of the seller made her body tremble. The Kazekage? Here? In this spot of the piazza?

She turned and without looking at him, she bowed very deep.

He watched her in complete quietness, until the seller once more called her:

'Chimyou, my dear, your lamb flew across the alley. You better catch him, before you loose sight of him, my dear'

'H-hai!'

She swiftly turned to her left and went down the alley, in a hurry, as to catch the little bugger in time. The tiny baby-sheep wasn't sorry for being caught, on the contrary, his peculiar "be-he-he" seemed to have pleased him with the sight of his "step-mother" holding him once again in her soft and skinny, pale arms.

Gaara didn't stay too long in that spot. He wanted to visit his men in the hospital and he couldn't afford to loose any time, as time was very important when being the Kazekage of an overgrowing Suna.

He finally came to an end with all the booths and faced the walls of the hospital and its huge gates. Suddenly, he felt like someone was watching him. When he turned his jaded stare to look back, he saw the girl glaring at him quietly and shyly. She was holding her lamb in her arms and she seemed rather innocent in that posture. She again turned her enigmatic smile on, and slightly hid her face into the tiny animal's wool, as she seemed shy to be stared at by his turquoise gaze. She then turned and headed back to her horses, to take care of them.

Gaara sniffed and then headed for the entrance of the hospital.

5. Midnight in the garden of Good and Evil: promise not to stalk you…

There wasn't much to find out about anything. Everything seemed to be working quite well, or at least if there were plots against the Hidden Village of Suna, they were concealed at the highest rank of secrecy.

His men were doing fine now and were soon to head out in different missions as soon as possible. He had found Kankurou there so when he got out fo the hospital, with his business already done there, he was returning with Kankurou, with his older brother speaking to him about recent missions ahead of the Country of Rock and its Tsuchikage. Something about the forming of a new weaponry.

Gaara felt like he had returned a year back, at that dealing with the Village of Takumi, when with the kidnapping of one of his subordinates, Matsuri. Back then, it was the time when he first fought the Shukaku by himself and even managed to take control of a bit of the monster's will to urge with pleasure of blood and too much pain.

'Take all the safety measures we need to take, Kankurou' he added, with a swift breath, after he got into his mind every detail of what his brother had told him.

'Alright then, Gaara, it shall be done, no worries. I'll see you tomorrow, then. I was assigned to check the western perimeters for the moment. Have a pleasant evening.'

'Yeah, thank you, Kankurou, be careful.'

'I will, thanks.'

His brother had left him alone after that, when he flew away to gather his men for daily check-ups.

Gaara looked at the piazza he once more had to cross. It was mostly empty and only the lonely booths were left. No animals, no weird things to sell… no people, just the cool wind blowing through the lonely stands.

It was quite late, but it wasn't early in the evening either. He again felt the presence of someone, as he crossed the empty market. He stopped and so did the steps behind him.

'Are you stalking me?' he asked all of a sudden, with his cold and yet inquiring voice.

'No…'

Her low and timid answer made Gaara turn to face her. The same girl from this afternoon with the horses, the same girl who was about to drown in the hot springs a few days ago, the same girl with the black weird-like dress and the enigmatic smile was resting in front of him, with her obedient position, her look held on the ground and rather waiting for something to happen.

'Then why are you still here?' he asked, without the slightest satisfaction for her short answer.

She kept quiet about that. He sniffed and turned to leave.

'Good night' he muttered seriously and continued his way ahead. Still, after a while, he heard the same steps behind him and he knew that she was still following him. Why? Why was she doing that?

'I'd advise you to stop stalking me, or I shall have to forcedly stop that'

He stretched his arm towards her, a sign that any minute now, he might summon his sand.

She stopped and started to tremble visibly. Her hand had stopped at the tip of her lower lip, a gesture which he had often saw at really frightened women whose only defense was to separate her from her opponent by a simple imaginary wall, represented by that hand pointed high, as a defense weapon. So, she feared him now. And she feared him strongly, since her body had started to shudder considerably.

His position reminded her of that night…

: flashbacks :

'I didn't notice him, Ren! Ren, hide the girl fast!'

Her mother agitating around, watching through the window. Her eyes were so turbulent, her ocular globes were almost pointing out:

'Hide the girl!!!'

An ax… she saw a huge ax…

Her father took her in his arms and threw her under the floor, through a crack.

'Hide there! He whispered frightened. Hide there, damn it, Chimyou!!'

Her mother's sudden screams…

'Ren!!!!!'

'Mika!'

'Give me all your money or else I shall kill your woman ,bastard!'

'Calm down, I shall give you what you wish! Let go of my wife! What are you doing to my child? My child!!!!!'

The ax! The ax! The flesh cut off its place and the sudden cry…

'REN!!!!!!!!...'

: flashbacks over

She laid quiet in front of him, yet remembering those awful times made her body tremble with a much greater intensity than before. And then, she woke up. He could see that when her eyes fell deeper on the ground and calmed down visibly.

'S-sumimase…'

Her eyes lifted up a bit, but no more did she dare to look equally to him.

Gaara watched her, as he rested his arm once more by his hips. He could see something tiny sparkling on her cheek, while falling quietly. Was she…? Was she crying?

She backed up until she reached the wall of a house and she hid behind it, trying to protect herself, but still, she remained so that he could see her, even though she starred continuously at the ground.

He waited for something to happen. He felt like saying something so the tension around would be gone.

'I take it you are feeling better now' he started, yet even though he meant to be polite, the voice seemed as distant as usual.

She stood quiet and only nodded three times, in a very slow manner.

'Very well, then. Once more, good night.'

'I tried to tell myself that you're gone. But though you're still with me, I've been alone, I'm alone…'

'L-lord Kazekage…'

He stopped. She didn't even notice him doing that. She thought her whispers wouldn't reach his ears and so, she had turned to leave. She wanted to tell him something, but as swift as she wished to say something, she regretted trying to. Still, he had stopped and turned to face her:

'Yes?'

She stopped, trembling.

'You wish to tell me anything?'

She nodded negatively instinctively, since her shyness had taken over most of her senses.

'Very well…'

As he again turned back to head home, Gaara thought that even these simple sentences that he had said have already done too much for his usual amount of words a day.

All of a sudden, as he rather furthered himself away from her, he sensed a slight scent of cinnamon. He turned and faced her presence now gathering some of the remains from the market.

She was just trying to get a piece of cloth from up above her head, resting on a big wooden plank which was the roof of the booth. She couldn't reach it so she had to stretch some more. Yet, it still required a few more inches.

Suddenly something sparkling vaguely strained under the piece of cloth and raised it, after that placed it on the girl's hand. When the tiny sparkling spots withdrew, she sensed the sand. She startled and turned her blood-like gaze towards the boy at the other side of the piazza.

Gaara of the Desert was still watching her.

The sparkling wires of sand circled her and rather gave her the impression that their owner wanted to draw her near to him.

The moon was shining bright now and if she were alone she would have faced it with the purest smile and try again to count the infinity of constellations. Somehow, she sensed the air was clearer and more convenient than the other days.

'Tonight could I be lost forever to drown my soul in sense of re-pleasure? I cannot catch my breath… don't push too hard, limitation sky…'

She thought of those words, as her feet and the tiny sparks of sand drew her closer to the only man she had ever loved and probably the only one she would ever feel attracted to.

Gaara didn't quite explained himself why he had commanded the sand to pull her closer to his presence, but he felt that now, as she was drawing nearer to him, he couldn't stop the sudden request. He was just curious, or so he would call that feeling which possessed his senses at the moment. She was weirdly shy, weirdly polite and weirdly obedient for a female, from his point of view. Was she hiding something? What was it? How much pain did her soul gather throughout the entity of her life?

She had those kind of eyes which not only told the person in front of her the pain she had been feeling inside, but also reminded him of his own sins.

What sins has she committed so that she could bare such a blood-like sight? It was as if once before, a long time ago, she had possessed normal eyes, happy eyes, until something of utmost gravity struck her and collapsed her nature into complete void and darkness… as blood, as it appeared.

If that were the case, then her life must have been going on with nightmares harder to bear than his own. And what was more painful was that he had escaped this hell-life. She might as well be still dwelling into it.

Too late to have stopped that impulse of practically calling her. She was already in front of him, her bloody sight this time hiding behind the ash-like hue of her long locks. He noticed two tiny sparks, which resembled her pupils. She was indeed watching him through her ruffled hair.

Only her face was pale and as she was wearing clothes entirely darkened, the only way you could have noticed her would be her sparkling sight and her pale skin.

'You know who I am…' he mumbled lowly.

She seemed to have stumbled:

'Y-yes… the kazeka-…'

'No' he swiftly stopped her.

There was a weird sound which made him believe that she had swallowed with a slight fear. She answered with a lower voice than before, almost non-hearable:

'G-Gaara of the… of the Desert…'

'And you are Chimyou…'

'Hakaime Chimyou…'she answered.

'Have you been stalking me for a long time, Chimyou-san?'

She startled visibly, but did not raise her stare. She nodded softly, as to his slight surprise.

He couldn't understand why she was so honest. She could have said "no". But she had told him the truth, as what he had not expected.

'You're not lying, are you?'

She denied and he sniffed, convinced.

'Very well… for how long?'

She backed up so sudden, that even if the sand would have unwillingly tried to stop her, it couldn't make it on time.

'S-since… since forever…'

He startled again, but his face didn't indicate in any way his surprise. Had she never lied before?

'You don't lie, do you?'

'I never lied…'

That explains everything he seemed to have thought at the moment.

'And why have you called me back then? Were you going to tell me something?'

She denied once more.

'Very well then. I request that you stop stalking me; I don't sense the slightest pleasure to feel like my steps are followed.'

He turned to leave.

'I'm not stalking you, lord Kazekage…'

Her voice simply became somewhat more vivid.

As he turned once more to face her, she continued, again on a soft and lower voice:

'… but you wouldn't understand why I am doing so, why I follow your steps…'

'And why do you follow my steps?'

'That I cannot answer, lord Kazekage… it is a secret of mine which cannot be told to anyone… still, if you wish to never see my face in your presence, nor hear the soles of my feet behind you, I shall oblige to attend to your request… '

She suddenly gazed at him. Her eyes were frowning with a scent of guilt transmitted to the one who was watching her. Her blood-like eyes sort of paralyzed him. Still, it only lasted for a few seconds, and before he could open his mouth to say anything else, she returned to her trembling and shy way of being, as she turned her back against him:

'Good night to you… Gaara …'

He startled.

She started to run and stumble a few times, but left him alone on the street. She started to cry after that and curse her mouth for being too bold with the one she had cared about. Now, he would certainly wish not to have anything doing with her.

Still, accidents happen. As she furthered herself away from him in such a rush, something fell off her dress's pocket.

As he approached the spot where the thing had fallen, he lifted in his fingers the same knife she had carried with her the day he had first saw her.

It was once of a golden magnificence, with its blade sliding into a soft touch of cold metal. It was almost as if you were holding a dream. It had some letters carved on it, at the edge of its blade:

"We must try to live the living and haunt not the dead"

She must have carved it, since it wasn't professionally made. What did those words mean? What did those words mean to her? Why were they so important as to be carved on a knife? And why was she carrying such a knife in the first place.

He hid it under his leather brown vest and head back home. This has been too much for him.

Still, every step that he took, he constantly had the impression that her blood-like gaze was staring at him. Even though he had stopped several times, to check whether she was in his back or not, it appeared that she had already started to keep her promise.

First thing in the morning, he would have to look for her and give her back the knife, after that head back to his Kazekage-business.

6. The little seductress: blood-like sight…

In the morning, Gaara dressed up as he were to visit his men at the hospital, but he had decided to return the girl the dagger she had forgotten last night. That was all, since he didn't want to have anything to do with her anymore.

As the previous night passed, he had thought of her several times with the questions of the utmost weirdness.

The morning wasn't enough for the entire Suna to wake up. The piazza hadn't started yet to scream of too many merchandize business and the streets were utterly lonely.

He went through the streets, trying to think of a place he could find her. He then remembered of the place where he had first noticed her: the narrow neighborhood, which was under construction.

He went to that spot and vaguely thought that she might not be there. As expected, everything was destroyed, with rocks and blocks and pails of wooden planks surrounding the place like a battlefield. It was quiet and no one was living anymore in the neighborhood, so he could think her house might be there.

Suddenly, as he turned to head back through another street, his ears caught the scent of slight deaf moans coming from behind a large hole inside the construction site.

He came nearer to its edge and saw there a girl who lied, holding her left ankle and crying softly.

She had stumbled over something heavy, twisted her ankle and fell in the pit, whilst running last night. She had spent most of her left-over night crying about the pain and trying to massage the spot where the bone hurt her.

Suddenly, she startled visibly frightened, when seeing a thick blanket of sand lifting her up. When she had reached the pit's edge, she faced Gaara of the Desert again.

'You have a neck for getting in trouble'

Jokes had never been his strongest point, since he didn't even know what a joke was, not to mention hearing one or saying one. Thus, the tone of his voice, so manly and so distant was utterly unpleasant, mixed up with that small joke.

The soft sand blanket put her on safe ground and she shortly screamed of the pain from her ankle. He approached her and bended over, giving her knife:

'This belongs to you. You dropped it last night.'

She received it in a quiet and obedient manner.

'I suppose you need a medical nin to look at that'

'N-no…'

He watched her with his impassible turquoise gaze.

'P-please, lord Kazekage, as you told me last night that you do not wish for me to stalk you, I accepted that, but now if you shall attend me to medical help, later on you shall speculate that this accident I had done so only to disregard my last-night promise. With the utmost respect, I refuse your offer.'

He stood silent.

'Please, go away…' she said.

He highly believed of her as being one of the most respectful persons he had ever seen. Still, now, she seemed very bold, compared to how he had met her the first time, very shy and mutely introverted.

He wished – or, at least had the slightest hope – that she might be a person to treat him like a boy of her age, not like the Kazekage. That's why he had startled when she called his name last night. Now, she seemed to have headed back to the standard speech that of officially speaking to someone of a higher rank than hers.

'I'd rather you call me Gaara of the Desert for now. And as to speculating such things, I shan't.'

'G-Gaara…' she mumbled softly and let the sand bring her on her feet, to balance her body.

She held the knife tightly in between her fingers, as she smiled softly and said:

'Thank you, Gaara, for bringing this back to me. I thought I had lost it…'

He just looked at her quietly. Seeing her in front of him, with the inability of walking, he thought whether he should treat her equally to his acquaintances and let the sand carry her for him. Suddenly, she lost her control on balance and fell on him. Naturally, he would have caught her in his arms, but the sand was quicker and unwillingly stopped her body from approaching his.

What the devil, man, she wasn't going to hit him!

The sand disappeared instantly, withdrawing and she fell, this time, as expected, into his arms.

Her cheeks blushed, making her face entirely look like a lobster. She trembled into his arms, as he drew her at his chest.

He felt somewhat weird. No one was this close to him, especially a girl like this one. As he had seen her inside that pit, she was quite pretty, with her pale skin and her black presence, with her hair dancing now in the coolness of the air.

But her blood-like gaze was astonishing. He watched them as he now noticed her face so close to his.

It reminded him of the time when he was a child and wanted so many times to have friends, but couldn't because of reasons which back then he did not know. He wholly wanted to be hugged and kissed and told that everything would be alright and that he wasn't at all alone nor unprotected. None of these things were done back then nor were they done the years that had come. No living creature gave him any of those intimate gestures, as to give him new feelings to achieve. There might have been accidents, but only of a short period of time and they weren't made with the slightest intense feeling whatsoever.

He had never met a woman before, as to do all those. He had noticed Temari growing fond of one of Naruto's friends, Nara Shikamaru and often saw them holding hands, but never did he understand such feelings, since he had never experienced them.

Holding the slim body of this pretty and fairly little seductress was more than he could bear, as his head begin to be wildered by several confusing thoughts which he couldn't make sense of. Her hair, the smell of cinnamon and furthermore, her eyes of blood were tempting and even though he couldn't understand why exactly were they so he could sensed through his entire blood system the urge of experiencing something new to him, something of a different nature of that which he had with his siblings.

He felt good, confused and yet coaxed. Of what, he didn't know.

This girl, this creature, this little carnal temptation, this … petite seductress seemed to have raised every bone into his flesh. It was as if the Shukaku had still lied underneath him and had been excited at the sight of too much blood. Indeed, he refused to think of what would happen if the Shukaku had remained hidden inside him until today. The scent of enticement seemed too much to bear, even so.

His lips drew him into a totally different experience than any that he had had before. He felt other carnal features under his mouth, which he explored with the tip of his lips until he had reached both of their corners. He then touched the toughness of the tiny bones called teeth, held slightly to his sight, because of the foreign half-opened mouth.

The foreign mouth's tongue was resting inside, in its place, slightly trembling at the touch of his own tongue. He explored the inside of that tiny carnal abyss with the tip of his tongue and dragged his lips into it, until his mouth met the edge of that abyss, made out of the same skin as his mouth was made. Pity her lips had stopped his. He would have gone deeper. Still, inside their entangled mouths, his tongue was eagerly exploring every inch of the new carnal hollow he had just met. His tongue urged the other one to tag along with it and also drew the foreign saliva into his mouth as to remain with the sweet taste of honey into his own inside.

This little seductress must have savored honey at every meal, since everything about her mouth had the taste of honey.

His hands could control themselves, but his mouth couldn't. It was probably due to the fact that it was closer to the brain. But this new experiment he was doing had nothing to do with his brain system. At the moment, his brain could have been severely damaged, for all he cared, he was about to taste rather more from this entire new occurrence.

What he was doing usually bared the name of "kiss", but since he had never done anything of that, he couldn't think clear about that.

His arms swiftly grabbed her and tightened her to his body. The sudden strike of her breasts of his chest excited him even further, as he explored some more of her mouth, drawing every inch of her saliva into his own and mixing it.

How could it be that he was Gaara of the Desert, the most feared ninja in the Country of Wind, later on the Kazekage himself, and not know such a feeling which burned every bone in him so intensely? He should have been ashamed of himself, declaring he knew so much and yet discover he only knew half of what he had proclaimed, maybe even less than half.

Had this elfin seductive temptation not shown him the true nature of what was known as a part of love, Gaara would have still be babbling to himself about not carrying for no such things, since he had known them. He hadn't. It was a totally and disreputable lie, which he had brought to himself on believing.

So, there were things which a Kazekage, who is the highest of his kind, did not know. And furthermore he needed no papers to sign.

He felt that he had to take his breath back so, as regrettably as he could sense it, he parted from those seductive lips.

'Honey…' he growled, like just waking up. 'You put honey on your lips'

She let her look down, as red in her cheeks as her blood could possibly be:

'Y-yes… h-honey drenches your lips… or so… so I was told…'

The tip of his tongue once more explored her lips as to draw any traces left of honey. He then parted from her, making the sand balance her body again. He opened his eyes and looked at her. She still held her eyes on the ground, quiet and obedient. He didn't know what to say exactly. Kissing her was something new to him and entirely exciting, since he continuously had this impulse of exploring again her inside. Her saliva had remained on his tongue and with every little sip that he'd take, the taste of honey, so characteristic to her, would embody into his blood and withdrew throughout his entire flesh. Her scent of honey and cinnamon…

Still, in this whole thing he did not once think of her and her feelings, whether she had liked it or not. He had been utterly egocentric from this matter.

'L-lord-… G-Gaara…' she mumbled, still baffled, 'y-you promised… m-medical care for my… my ankle… l-lord Kazekage…'

The last way she had addressed him made her lift her gaze a bit, but not too equally to his.

'You may call me by my given name' he said, distantly. 'And a promise is a promise. I shall take you to the hospital now.'

He looked at her and seeing her so ruffled and yet so innocent, it drew his blood into excitement again and he once more felt the urge of touching her. He gathered his arms at his chest, twisting them just so he could hold them down on doing anything stupid.

'Come…' he said and turned his back towards her as he went ahead. He commanded the sand to take her in between two strong arms and lift her up carefully.

All she did was hold her palms at her chest as to calm down her hasty beating heart. When his eyes threw her a slight glare, seeing her hands covering her increasing and decreasing chest, he again felt that urge.

What are you doing to me, Chimyou? What are you doing…?

He looked in front of him, deciding that he should no longer keep not even one eye on her, since the feeling she sent him were unbearable and torturing.

7. Plotting against Suna: at the hospital…

She had spent the rest of the day in a hospital bed, as to rest her leg. She had a bone which had been misplaced during her fall, so at the first hours of the day, they had tortured her into putting back the bone. But she wasn't able to move on it for a few days.

She had to thank the Kazekage … Gaara for what he had done to her, as in bringing her to the hospital. If not, she might have ended with lack of one leg instead.

Again, she did not think too much of what else had happened between them, since she knew she might turn red in her cheeks and become even "unhealthy", by the possible conclusions that the doctors might add, if seeing her so red. Still, at night, she would dream about it and in the morning wake up touching her lips and every time she'd put some honey on them, for medical care, she would think of the fact that he had noticed the taste from her lips because he had probably remained with it through his mouth. Yes, she ate a lot of honey, since it was her favorite sweet.

Thus passed other few days, during which she had to recover. Nothing happened in those days. It was as if he had forgotten about her… again…

Gaara had done his full paperwork and was now about to visit some of his men in the hospital, due to another serious mission.

Kankurou had announced him that one of the heads of the teams had something highly important to discuss with the Kazekage and only himself.

Something highly important when at this difficult time? It had everything that needed to be serious and Gaara had to attend to it as immediate as possible.

He didn't change anymore into his clothes of combat, yet remained into his elegant and respectful white cloak of the Kazekage, as to attend to this problem like a leader should.

The day was bright and the market was as full as usual. It was noisy and filled with all sorts of smells and scents.

The Kazekage greeted a few of those who had politely noticed him and then continued his way to the hospital.

As usual, this place was very quiet. He announced his coming to a injured man, one of his ninjas, and the receptionist excused herself for not going with him personally, but she couldn't since other patients might come any minute. Still, she gave him a list of the men who had come by late last night, injured from their mission. The only head-team that was injured was Mahu, a man which Gaara knew as a brave one, new-comer, probably 20 or 24 or so, but highly thought of as a Jounin.

Room 456, or so it said.

He had some stairs to ascend, but he didn't mind. Any exercise done during the day, without the need of a combat was welcomed.

When he had reached the fourth level, the first room from the corridor bared the number 453. So, the room he was searching must have been around here. He went ahead on the corridor.

He reached the door 456. He opened. There small laughter heard from inside. He wondered how come the head of his ninja team was smiling.

Suddenly, his eyes could no longer hide his surprise when seeing a young lady standing on the edge of the patient's bed with Mahu-dono smiling bitterly.

'Oh, lord Kazekage…' he bumped softly. 'I'm so glad you have come.'

'Are you better?' Gaara asked him, ignoring the girl who just woke up from her bed.

She had grabbed a staff. It vaguely looked like an old scythe, which lacked of its sharp blade. Still, she started to shuffle towards the entrance door, as to let those two men talk their secrets out.

The Kazekage watched her insistently, while she had passed him and for some reason, she was hiding her face under her crow-feathers-like hair. Something about her bewildered him, as he remembered who she was.

As swift as she could do, she gave him her blood-like sight and with that, she drew outside of the room and saluted the patient quietly, as nodding her head. She then closed the door.

'I'm sorry, lord Kazekage, for creating such a mess in having move to this place' Mahu started, 'But I had to tell you and only you.'

His voice seemed to whisper, since he often looked around to check for any walls or holes or looks that might suggest him eavesdropping.

Gaara took a chair next to the bed, but did not use it, since Mahu was now whispering so low and he had to sharpen his ears to the slightest sound.

'My replication followed them, sir. The pursuers. It seems they have been watching us for quite some time now. They want to attack us, sir!'

'Who wants to attack us…?'

'The Tsuchikage has ordered around. There might be spies everywhere, sir! Or at least one, to tell them all the reports that they need: where each villager stays, what house we are building, how many children we have… Personally, I don't think the Tsuchikage would loose so many men as for spying. One would be enough, especially one that's sharp minded and skillful enough to pass as unobserved.'

'Iwagakure…' thought Gaara. 'Is the Hidden Village of Rock going to attack us?'

'You know very well, sir, that Konoha never had any friendly relationships with the Hidden Village of Rock. It might as well be a war treaty for us too. We must be prepared, sir, lord Kazekage…'

'Alright then, Mahu-dono… well done. I shall attend to your requests. I'll see to it that this spy should be discovered. How much time since you have found out about this?'

'Not too long. The mission was accomplished yesterday evening, sir. We returned as fast as we could, but we were ambushed by exiled ninjas. My guess was that we had been caught eavesdropping and we were about to get killed. But few of my men were seriously injured.'

'I see. That's indeed good news. Is that all, Mahu-dono?'

'Yes, it is, sir. Be careful. The ninjas from the Country of Rock are not to be underestimated.'

'As no ninja should be.'

Gaara returned from his man's hospital room, with thinking of a lot of things. A spy? The Country of Rock was going against any of the Leaf's allies? If that were the case, then Suna would be the first city to attack. The borders were checked every day. How could it be that no one, not even the slightest shrewdest ninja sensed nothing wrong? How long had this been going? If only he knew how much, he had known how much exactly the enemies knew about Suna. He had to take everything seriously. No more paperwork to curse now.

This might as well as be taken lightly as a war's beginning.

Any precaution was to be taken seriously, without further ado.

As he was in the hall, about to descent the second row of stairs, he saw the same girl from this morning at the end of the corridor. She was sitting on a chair, leaning against the wall and had her eyes closed. She was probably taking the shortest of naps.

He didn't know whether he should find out about her health or not. After all, what had been between them not but a few days ago hadn't slipped his mind, as she probably thought it would. The rest of that day, he cursed himself for not taking advantage of their intimacy together and repeating the same animalistic discoveries earlier.

Still, now, as torn into a dangerous politico-military duty, he couldn't think of extras. Still, it would have been polite to say "hello", at least. That is what he thought when coming to her.

'I take it you are better?' he asked.

She startled, waking up sleepy. So she had been doing more than just a nap… when seeing him, she shortly smiled and replied soft:

'Y-yes, thank you…'

'Very well, then. I bid you good afternoon.'

He turned to leave and as slow as he could possibly try to walk, his feet's speed was still high. Still, when reaching the stairs and wanting to descend them, she stopped him with her low and shy voice:

'G-Gaara…?'

He looked at her, a sign which made her think that he didn't even notice her calling him by his name.

'Are we…? Are we going to war…?'

He startled, but as professional as he could be, she didn't sense that. Still, it was a question which struck him to his core. He looked at the cement-made stairs.

'I don't know… Chimyou-san… I really don't know. But I'll try to see that it shan't be done.'

He met her shyly nice smile:

'Then, it shan't happen. I believe in you, Gaara. As so do all the villagers…'

Her smile smeared his heart. And her words seemed of great faith at that moment. If he were to feel rather confused and too drown into it, now it was like someone had taken a part from that heavy rock he was bearing on his back. Not the entire rock, but certainly an amount enough to ease his instability.

His mouth drew a thin line, but it was still too hard for him to actually smile.

'Thank you, Chimyou-san…'

Without further words, he swiftly descended the stairs and hurried to his burrow to give orders and take any measurements possible enough to secure the safety of the village.

She remained in complete quietness, but no longer did she feel sad or broken-hearted. After all, he had been the one to come and say "hello" to her, not the other way around. She sensed now that even though their meetings might be rare, he would still stop to say "hello". At least that, and it was enough for her.

8. Everyone has their dark past: her story…

Gaara gave orders to Kankurou to be with his men at the borders of the Hidden Village and announce anything strange at all costs.

Other teams were randomly selected to continue their usual patrolling the country's border's, thus the enemies will not sense and changes.

For now, nothing could be actually done, since everything was in deep silence and in tensioning serenity. Nothing was happening as to tell you that war was beginning. Still, Gaara had taken measures for any case.

His brothers had agreed with him to the fullest.

'You've done very well', said Baki, while walking with him to his office, later on that day. 'The people here are happy for their Kazekage is a wise man. You were fit to be a leader.'

Gaara sniffed and swiftly thought of Naruto. Even though everyone was calling him an idiot and too impulsive, Gaara thought that these words could have been the finest for Naruto as well. Once a Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto might have done great things.

'Most of the things I've learned them from him' said Gaara softly, as he contemplated the void thoughtfully. 'I owe many things to him… Naruto…'

'Yes, I'm sure you do, but you also have your strength alone. Naruto-dono was only pushing it outside of you. As your former sensei, I am very proud of having a student such as you, Gaara.'

The boy let his look down, thinking that if he had remained the bastard that he was at the beginning, Baki-sensei wouldn't have said such a thing. The man sensed what his thoughts were and permitted himself to touch the Kazekage's shoulder:

'Don't be too hard on yourself, boy. You had your reasons, it's important your brothers understood that and they did not reject you. Everyone has their dark past. You just had it worse. Now it's over. There's no use tangling on it.'

'Yes, you're right, Baki-dono. I shan't linger on it. I have a village to protect and so many people to acknowledge me.'

'More than half has already acknowledged you, Gaara. There's no need to struggle that hard now.'

They stop at his office and Baki rather greeted him with the utmost respect:

'I leave you here, Kazekage. I shall attend to my duties, have a pleasant evening'

'Thank you; same to you.'

Gaara watched him until the man disappeared and then when the hall was cleared away, he entered his room. The paperwork was, as usual, lying on his table. Most of them were easy to sign and easy to read, since they were requests from the foreign merchandisers or the construction of new buildings somewhere in that old neighborhood. He was done by the time night had fallen.

He vaguely yawned and after that wondered why he had done so, since sleeping hadn't been something he had gotten used to that much. Still, it was probably due to the fact that he was tired and rather burdened with many problems at the moment.

At this time of evening, the stores were still open, for those liked to take a break from their hard working day. The lights were on and Suna looked beautiful with its enchanting quietness and its polite people.

He stopped a few times to greet several old people and then continued on his road to go to his place.

Suddenly, it occured to him that the hospital was in his way. Just taking it to your left and you would reach it in no time. He watched the street which led him there thoughtfully. Was he sure to pay her a visit? Even at this quite late hour?

His steps took him to that place no matter the consequences. He knew he was now breaking his vow for the first time. Still, he had to see her somehow. He felt that she was the person to talk about things whenever he would feel troubled.

The hospital was still open. Some nurses recognized him immediately and welcomed him "good evening". After assuring himself whether he could pay a visit to someone, he checked the table to see where her room was. Luckily, it was at the first floor, room 345. It wasn't too much to walk.

When reaching her floor, he saw that even though the room had its door closed, the light was turned on.

He wasn't the type to knock. He had been told by Temari several times that this was the polite thing to do. Still, he couldn't' get used to it.

As such, he opened the door slowly. He found her resting on her bed, reading a medicinal book, probably given by the nurses, with the light turned on.

She saw him and got rather up from her bed, bursting softly:

'Oh… g-good evening…'

'I hope I wasn't interrupting.'

'N-no, of course not. Come in, please…'

She put her book aside, on the table next to her bed. She couldn't move too much, due to her ankle, she needed a stick on which she could put her balance. That's why she couldn't reach for a chair and hand it properly to him. Even though he had permitted her to call him Gaara, he was still the Kazekage, as in a person of a higher rank than hers.

She smiled guiltily for that fact:

'I'm sorry I can…'

He didn't take any seat. He just came at the end of her bed and watched her, seriously, and yet indifferently-like.

'No matter' he said. 'I won't be long.'

'Oh, I see…'

Silence fell over them after that, because she didn't know what exactly to say to a superior person like the Kazekage and he didn't exactly know what he was doing here. Still, he took a deep breath and said with an official tone:

'You are well, I guess…'

'N-not so very well, but in the process…'

They kept quiet after that. It was as if they both knew he had broken his promise since this morning when he asked of her health.

He didn't know what to do. He sort of felt guilty. Suddenly, she smiled, biting her inferior lip, as she almost whispered of shyness:

'D-do you… drink tea?'

He watched her, as her eyes lifted up and watched him too, as she continued softly:

'… I would very much like some… dango…'

Here they were, at a little teashop, where they could drink tea and eat dango. He had helped her walk until here with his sand, after asking permission to the nurses for this kind of walk. As agreed, they were now here, with her drinking some hot tea, made of jasmine and eating some dango, while he had refused to eat, yet savored some simple tea. It was complete quietness at his table, yet he was happy no one was watching him insisting on trying to recognize him as the Kazekage. In fact, they were one of the fewest couples in the teashop at the moment.

'T-thank you for bringing me here…' she said politely. 'I often drank tea when I was younger. But never have I tasted dango before. Thank you…'

She didn't look at him, into his eyes. She couldn't as she knew she was standing in front of the Kazekage, not only the man she continuously loved.

'You are welcome' he answered in a low voice.

'M-may I ask whether the news of this morning was indeed serious or not?'

'No, it wasn't. I saw to it to be fixed. Nothing to worry.'

'Of course not' she smiled pleasantly, through her ash-like locks and he sensed that.

He watched her as she ate slowly. It appeared that everything she had done was slow and melancholic. Even when kissing her back then, he remembered that - ironically – he had been the one doing everything. She kept her tea in between her hands like something she had treasured and did not wish to break.

'Where do you live, Hakaime Chimyou?' he asked all of a sudden.

Something which he had said made her startle rather frightened. Maybe it was perhaps he had unexpectedly remembered her full name. Still, her gaze sat down on the table sadly, as she answered sensitively:

'I… don't exactly have a home of my own. I have a small house at the old neighborhood, but you could easily say I don't live anywhere, since I spend my nights and days on the streets most of the times.'

'Might I inquire the reason for that matter?'

'W-well, I …'

She stopped and he sensed that he had struck her secret. Everyone had a secret to hold. Everyone. Even the lightest person would have something tiny to conceal. She had concealed something. It was probably the thing which natured her personality this way. He suddenly remembered what his former sensei said to him this evening, before parting each other…

Everyone has their dark past.

It was probably this case too. She had most likely a dark reason to have started this entire mess in her soul.

She might have been somewhat like him, before he became "the good guy". She might have been haunted as well by the ghosts of her past.

'… I l-live alone in my house… th-there's no one else for me… anymore…'

So, she was lonely… he had been lonely too, before he had met Uzumaki Naruto.

'I …'

She took a deep breath and decided to discover herself to him.

'M-my mother w-was a … a priestess, you see… and my father was a skillful ninja. I also had a sister. A sister which hated me… s-she hated me because… well, you see, in my family the females would become priestesses. It's not like you have a choice. It's something that it's passed onto the first born female. Since I was older than my sister, I was appointed to this task, when at my 11th birthday. Still, I always knew I wasn't meant for that. I didn't like the priesthood, nor did I enjoy the idea of being locked all day in a temple only to worship something which I highly did not believe of its existence. On the other hand, my sister loved this. She adored everything about it, as so my mother. But because I was the oldest, I had to attend to this matter alone. No one could take my place, not even my sister…'

She took a deep breath:

'I'm sorry, I must be boring you…'

'Go on' he replied rather tough.

Her story seemed to resemble his in a way; he wanted to know how her story had brought her to today.

She took a deep breath and continued:

'Well, as a continuance to what was to be expected, my sister hated me. And for some reason – unknown to me – my mother hated me as well. The only one to understand me so far was my father, but he was too a cold-hearted man to say anything or take my side. I was obliged to become a priestess and not doing so would have meant the disgrace of my family. And even though I accepted my task as the next priestess in line, my mother and sister continued on hating me.

And one night, it finally happened. It was the night before my 11th birthday…'

She stood quiet and sipped form her tea, as if she wanted to use that as a pretext for trying not to go on. From this point on, it had hurt her. Still, Gaara – who had watched her silently until now – intensified his turquoise gaze, as he replied:

'What happened then?'

'My family was brutally assassinated. Hacked into pieces before my eyes…'

She leaned against her seat, as her eyes started to douse.

'T-they said… t-that there was a mass-murderer, b-but…'

'But what?'

'The truth was that after I recovered from this tragedy, I started to believe that I had been punished by someone for the fact that I had tried to fight with my fate.'

She suddenly stopped.

He believed that there was more to this story. People hating her for no reason? A brutal assassination before her very eyes? There must have been something more to it.

'That isn't all…' he muttered roughly.

She startled and started to tremble.

'I… I can't tell you…'

'You knew there was something wrong about this whole business, didn't you?'

She startled frightened and again made that gesture with her hand, as to try and separate herself from him by an imaginary wall. Still, she answered:

'Y-yes, I did… y-you see… after a year from the incident… someone had tried to assassinate me numerous times…'

It struck him like lightning. It was as if the ceiling had fallen over his shoulders. This time, he could not hide his surprise, as his look turned slightly serious, almost frowning, with a gulp hidden in his neck, refusing to go down. His mouth half opened with anxiety.

She didn't notice his reaction to her sudden confession, so she carried on:

'I couldn't feel safe anymore in my house. I was alone, frightened and no one would help me because everyone believed I was mad. So, I started on making a habit on spending my nights and my days on the streets, hiding myself from the one who was trying to assassinate me. Until another day…

After exactly two years sharp, on my 13th birthday, late at night, the assassin showed up again. I had decided to spend the night in my house since it was my birthday.

The assassin attacked me, but I managed to escape and I killed him instead.'

He startled again, as his mind swiftly brought him back to his uncle's death, Yashamaru…

'… Still' her soft voice continued, as she was now watching the void, 'I did leave him well enough alive to tell me the reason why he was trying to kill me. As I drew his mask away, I realized that it was the same man who had murdered my family two years ago. He told me… he told me back then…'

He startled and watched:

'What? What did he tell you?'

'… He told me that my mother had assigned him to murder me…'

Gaara again felt the ceiling falling. This time, it felt much heavier than before. It struck his core toughly.

'… He told me that my mother had appointed him to my assassination, with even the price of killing herself and the rest of her siblings. And he would do so until I would find my own grave. He died before continuing further, but I had already found out enough to collapse my world.'

She took a deep breath, as she calmed her body down into stop trembling.

'Later on, I found out that the man was my mother's lover… I only kept the habit of loosing my days and nights on the streets. Even though my house is still in perfect condition.'

She smiled bitterly and then again took a sip from her tea.

He now felt that her story was finished. And he also noticed the strike of resemblance with his own. Only, she had never become like him, a murderer, probably because she lacked the part where a demon was sealed inside her body. Still, she had faced many of the things he had to face at that time: hatred without reason, a continuous target for assassins… Even the fact that one of her own flesh lead into arranging all of those to be done. She might have seemed to have fully understood his life, since she had one alike. He couldn't believe that there might be another, apart from the Jinchuuriki beholders, whose life had twisted the world of hell into its own.

And still, there she was, Hakaime Chimyou, the girl who held no Jinchuuriki, yet had lived a life of hell. And she was still uncorrupted by the evil. She must have held a strong will of hatred and despite for other people, but she also possessed the great strength of surpassing her mischief feelings and continue her life as to where to had stopped her to.

'Your life resembles mine' he said softly.

'I know…'

Gaara lifted his jaded gaze and stared at her silently, still inquiring.

She smiled her enigmatic smile:

'As you already noticed, I was stalking you… I followed you throughout your life and saw all of those. I knew who you were, Gaara of the Desert, before you had become the man you are now… I grew up walking after you…'

'Naze…?'

'… Because you resemble my life, as I resemble yours… and because…'

This time, she really stopped, as she pressed the cup of tea into her lips, as to make her mouth stop talking before her thoughts. She held her words inside her mouth, whishing that she shouldn't have said this much.

'P-please, could we go now…? It's late and I really should be heading back… p-please…? L-lord Kazekage…?'

It occurred to him that she would only call him Gaara when they were alone and the conversation wasn't so hard to bear. Still, when she was addressing to him by is title, the Kazekage, he believed that it was her way of hiding herself from him, through the fact that they belonged to totally different social classes: he was the highest of the ninjas, while she was a lonely orphan girl.

'O-onegaisimas…' she asked politely.

Her innocent-like tone was giving his hands a hard time again. He felt once more the urge of feeling that sweet honey flavor of hers. He could sense her cinnamon; he had sensed it from this morning, when meeting her in Mahu's room.

Had she been born to torture his senses?

He got up on his feet, as his mind had a mixture of wishing that they were alone at this moment – so he could persuade on concentrating to his animalistic instincts again – and that he should have been a good boy and stay away from the hospital's route tonight.

Still, again, the evil had been done and as the Kazekage, he had to make sure that she would be brought home safely. He didn't know whether he might help himself or not.

The road appeared to have extended itself, as to twist the knife in his wound. Luckily, there was the solution of walking in front of her, as to stop him from seeing her slim silhouette. Still, he felt her soft steps and it was hard to bear as well.

He never felt like this about anyone. It was a mixture of wanting to hold her and kiss her at the same time, as well as reject her and throw her in a tower where she could never be found.

He had never held a woman before, nor did he even kiss one before that recent morning. If he had still the Shukaku inside him, he could have blamed it on the monster's animalistic instincts. Maybe some of it was still left in him, that's why he was so darn helpless around a female like her.

What was this feeling that possessed him every time he'd face her? Why was he so helpless and yet so strong in front of her? Why? And only today, he found out that she was indeed stalking him. In fact, she had followed him… throughout his entire lifetime? Where was she back then? She could have certainly healed his heart.

Kokoro no kizu…

Had he finally found someone to understand him in a different way than Naruto would? Had he found someone who could do more than just listen and understand and agree and sustain him? Had he found a … a mate?

'L-lord Kazekage…'

Her voice stopped him. He turned to face her.

Her obedience and her innocence showed her incapability of doing anything to stop anyone from doing anything to her.

And it was a perfect moment: they were wholly alone, with no one there to stop or blame him if he were to do something.

He came to her, as she continued:

'… we've arrived… t-thank you for treating me too dango and tea… and thank you for bringing me safe back home…'

She held her staff and somewhat trembled, as she gasped a slow "good night" and turned to leave. If she were able to run, she would have done so. It was more than she could bare for today, the fact that she had revealed herself to him so willingly.

Still, as she turned to leave, a slight sparkle of sand lifted her palm slowly and circled her wrist, as a sign of trying to stop her from leaving.

Her feet listened to the will of the sand and she trembled harder as she heard his presence coming closer to her.

'P-please… G-Gaara…'

His straight and impassible gaze stood in front of her now. He was incapable of smiling, a fact which done the other way around, might have somehow calmed her down a bit. Still, she didn't know why he had stopped her and she didn't know what he was about to do. Maybe do the same thing as in that morning, then leave her to a complete shattered feeling, of 50 pain, during which 5 of that was pleasure.

She saw his hand trembling as he lifted it up. He stretched it to her face and hesitating, he touched the delicate skin of her cheek.

'You have the same eyes…' he muttered. 'Whereas once I had them filled with loneliness and murderous intent, now they are filled with loneliness and …'

He stopped. He didn't exactly know how he felt. At least, not at the moment. His hand had trembled at the delicacy of the soft foreign skin.

He faintly took his palm away and was about to back it up to his body, when she caught it, making his turquoise stare tremble.

'If you were to have eyes like mine, then you would also feel the need of no longer lingering into loneliness, but to love and be loved in return. You can't have eyes like mine, since you still drown into aloneness and not do anything about that.'

She then swiftly loosened his hand and backed up, helping herself by the staff.

She had a straight-forward way of dealing with things sometimes. It was as if, without possessing a certain creature inside her flesh, someone was often speaking into her place. It was as if he was dealing with a double-personality character.

As expected, she returned to her shy way of being and lowered her head as to show obedience again, after saying such an impertinent affirmation. As considered he was the Kazekage, she had told him something not so very pleasant.

'I want to do something about it…' he was heard, as a quiet and serious answer. His voice almost growled with its lowness.

As he looked at her, he noticed again her enigmatic smile and he once more thought he had to deal with a duality.

'G-good night' she whispered softly and as bowing her head respectfully to him, she turned once more to leave.

Just as the sand yet again tried to stop her, the door from the hospital opened and the nurse in charge for this night's shift smiled to them, as she said:

'Good evening, lord Kazekage… Miss Hakaime, please, do attend to your room. The hospital shall officially close itself in a few minutes. It's time for bed now.'

She nodded meekly, as she helped herself with the staff to get to the entrance door.

'Good night, lord Kazekage…' her voice was once more heard in a soft manner, as she passed the nurse's hand holding the door open.

Also, the woman smiled as to a quiet greeting, then closed the door behind her.

Gaara was left alone on the street, with his thoughts rather shattered around, carelessly.

He looked at his palm and felt once again the same feeling he had felt when he had resurrected: as if it weren't his. How could he have managed to touch her skin in such an intimate gesture? He had never tried to stop anyone by now and he had never touched anyone so closely, especially a female. But she wasn't any ordinary female. She was the little seductress who had driven him into committing that carnal impulse of experiencing something totally different than just fighting and killing and using his sand.

Had she not possessed eyes like his? Yes, he probably still lingered onto that feeling of loneliness, without him even noticing it. But now, he no longer wanted to be alone. Now that he had finally found a female to understand him so equally to his own self. Her life looked a lot like his and it was to be taken as a lesson that he again could have taken another path than that of a cold-hearted sociopath. No matter, he had changed now, thanks to Uzumaki Naruto.

But could he have not sensed her presence in the past? Why had he found her now? These questions were in vain. The only joy left behind was the fact that he at least found her. She was probably the mate he was waiting for.

He just didn't see it by now… a weird feeling filled his heart and felt the need to speak it out somehow…

9. She has eyes like mine: my mate…

Kankurou, the next morning found his brother still dealing with some paperwork, but he had a rather tendered look on his face. Kankurou felt that if Gaara were to have a normal past, by now this feeling which was read on his face must have been that of joy. So, why was Gaara happy… somehow…?

Kankurou sniffed and let some reports on his brother's table, adding:

'These were brought to me early in the morning. They are reports of the previous missions.'

His brother didn't seem to even notice his presence. Kankurou looked around, as if looking for any kind of eavesdropping, then bended over the table, to look into his younger brother's jaded eyes.

They seemed to be normal although Kankurou sensed something strange about that.

'Gaara? Are you feeling alright?'

The redhead didn't answer quickly,. Kankurou blamed it on the fact that his brother's usual self was the very quiet type. Still, he could have at least looked at him…

'Gaara? Gaara!'

The redhead finally turned his turquoise gaze towards his brother. He was serious, but it was that kind of "gaarian" seriousness, which actually defined the feeling of surprise or curiosity.

'Are you alright?' Kankurou asked again. 'You seem… rather distracted, if you ask me. Are you tired or something?'

'No.'

'Then, what's the matter?'

Seeing that his brother refused to give an answer to his last question, Kankurou put his hands on the burrow and added, much more concerned:

'Listen, I know you are a silent type and that you rarely show your feelings. It's hard for you, I know, you missed a lot of humanity during your turbulent past. But still, you always have this special seriousness, which when you are troubled, it shows that perfectly to the people around you. At least, I know that there's something different about you today. What is it?'

Gaara still kept quiet, continuing his paperwork.

'Is it because of those idiots from Iwa?'

No answer.

Kankurou sniffed:

'What is it?'

'I'm alright, Kankurou, there's no need to worry about anything' Gaara finally opened his mouth, in his usual low tone of voice.

His brother watched him with a raised eye-brow:

'Are you sure?'

'Yes.'

'Alright then, Gaara, if you say so. Then, I shall leave you to it. Don't take too much, if you're getting tired. Being a Kazekage isn't something easy, but you can't push yourself either'

The tall, black-cloaked ninja was about to leave.

'Kankurou?'

He stopped and turned to his little brother.

'Yes, Gaara?'

'Might I inquire something personal?'

'What is it?'

Gaara didn't like that such a question was about to pop out of his so serious and quiet mouth, but he felt like doing it. That is, if he wanted to take this business as serious as any of the business that he was taking.

'How do you know when… someone is your…'

His eyes left his brother's, to face the ground. Kankurou startled: something indeed was bothering his younger brother.

'… mate?'

His face fell. Kankurou looked at his brother confusingly surprised. Had he heard well?! The Kazekage had asked him about… mates?

'Pardon?' he bumped, but then he cleared his throat and opened his mouth, trying to think professionally about this.

When he was about to unleash some words, the door opened and inside came Temari.

'Hello, Gaara… Kankurou. Good morning to the both of you.'

'Good morning, Temari' Gaara answered.

She also brought some paperwork but just as she stretched her hand to put it on the table she noticed the tension inside this room. She looked at both her brothers inquiringly:

'Is there… something wrong?'

None of them said anything too quickly. At least, not Gaara who got up from his chair.

Kankurou took a deep breath:

'W-well, our dear little brother was about to ask me about mates'

'M-mates? What kind of mates?' Temari asked confusingly.

'Mates! Mates as in girl-boy stuff, I presume' Kankurou added.

'Really?'

Temari started to smile enthusiastically, as she turned her gaze towards her younger redheaded brother:

'What would you like to find out, Gaara?'

'He asked about what you feel just to assume that someone's your mate' Kankurou answered for him.

'Oh, I see… well, that isn't too hard. I suppose you really like that person' Temari answered optimistically. 'I suppose that when you like someone, it means you want to be with him, and hold hands, and kiss and be there for him.'

'You've got a lot of experience on that, don't you?' Kankurou smiled shrewdly, but his sister gave him a swift killing-like face.

'Right' she tried to continue. 'Anyway, a mate is someone you love and care for and protect.'

'Take Shikamaru, for example!' Kankurou again bumped, and as his sister once more jumped on him with the same kind of look, he started to laugh.

'Stop doing that, I don't like that infamous Konoha ninja!' Temari burst annoyed.

'Oh, yes, you do! Your eyes sparkle over that guy!'

'They don't!'

'They do!'

'They don't!'

'They do!'

As his brothers started a fight on that topic, Gaara turned away from his desk and watched Suna from the window, as he thought of Hakaime Chimyou.

If he had still possessed the raccoon demon Shukaku, the need of this business with mates might have been placed on the shoulders of that monster, as in that it needed to find himself a mate. But still, the Shukaku was extracted from him several months ago and he could no longer blame a lot of thing on that creature anymore.

A mate? He had never had a contact with such a word. Looking from beyond it, the significance of this word seemed rather special and intimate. It made sense: as a mate, you were supposed to draw certain feelings for that person. You had to love him, understand him, want to be with him and protect him no matter the cost. Those seemed rather easy tasks to fulfill. Still, he felt that if he were to enter this dealing with mates, he must have been setting himself for a simple task at the surface, but a hard one in its essence.

When he returned to facing his two older brothers, they had stopped fighting, still the war was continuing through the sharp gazes which each of them threw to the other. Temari was the first to look at him and smile:

'Have you chosen yourself a mate, Gaara?'

He watched the wood of the table for a few seconds, before answering rather plain:

'Yes, I have.'

'And may I ask who she is?'

'Her name is Hakaime Chimyou' Gaara answered again bluntly.

Temari startled, as Kankurou sniffed thoughtfully:

'Why does this name sound familiar to me… hm… oh, I remember! She belonged to that family in which her mother was a priestess. Hm, I didn't think you were the religious type, Gaara. Still, you've made a wise choice. She's an interesting character.'

'You know her?' Temari threw him a curious look.

'Of course I do! And don't pretend like you haven't met her at all, because you did! Remember the girl Gaara saved a few weeks ago?'

Temari suddenly bit her inferior lip, as she remembered what sort speech she had held concerning that girl, which she now discovered that it was a respectable family's child.

'Ha, ha…' she grinned stupidly. 'Yes, I guess you're right. I apologize about those things I've said back then, I didn't actually know who I was talking about.'

'Right…' Kankurou imitated her and as Temari threw him another killing-like look, the tall black-cloaked ninja looked at his younger brother, with a faint smile on his face:

'Alright, then, Gaara, you've made a wise choice. I am proud of you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I shall attend to my duties. See you guys later!'

He went out of the office and closed the door behind him.

'When did you decide that she should be your mate?' Temari asked curiously.

'She told me her story' Gaara answered lowly. 'It's similar to mine. She had lonely eyes like mine. I believe that she could understand me like Naruto has.'

'I see. Well, then, that's a good thing…'

'Temari…'

She looked at him curiously. Somehow, the air around the room gave her details about her brother's future question, which he was probably unaccustomed at asking. She smiled pleasantly:

'Be yourself, Gaara. If she's the one for you, then all you have to do is be yourself.'

'Should I …?'

'No, I don't believe it's necessary. You see, the only reason that I and Kankurou don't feel extremely strange about this is that you found someone for you. If you have found her suitable enough to be your mate, then you don't need to become someone else to make her accept you as a mate. I trust you as a female.'

She blinked with one eye, even though her gesture didn't resemble much to her younger brother. She smiled and then left the paperwork on the table, while adding:

'I also have other business to take care of right now, so I shall leave you deal with your own. Have a pleasant day, Gaara and see you later!'

She closed the door behind her, leaving her brother alone.

He took a seat on his armchair and sat with his eyes appointed to the hospital building. He then moved his gaze as to watch Suna like a map-plan. He took a deep breath, without the slightest movement from his lips, as to draw the smallest smile. He still couldn't get used to that like of physical gesture.

10. A sudden visit: you are my mate…

Late afternoon, Gaara was done with him formalities, finally, and was able to do something else in passing the time before other red tapes were to be brought to his desk.

The white cloak around his neck seemed to give him an air of great importance as a social status. The office where he lied was awfully quiet and wasn't to be disturbed until the Kazekage would have finished his work.

There wasn't a soul in the building or even if there was, everything was done in complete silence and with professionalism.

He hadn't heard about his brothers yet, nor any kind of problems at the borders. Still, he wasn't supposed to let his guard down, as he had fully explained that when at a military meeting, earlier, this morning.

Baki was sent away on pursuing mission, Mahu and his men were released today from hospitalization, and his brothers had been sent on their daily border-verification. Everyone was gone. He was alone. Physically alone, this time, as to add to his continuous spiritual loneliness, which didn't exactly seem to bother him, since he hadn't noticed it by now.

Still, he had faced it just now. He realized that in absence of those familiar to him, he had no one to talk with.

He was to visit her again, this time, with a much more relaxing feeling, since he had come up with a final decision about this entire weird relationship with her.

The marketplace was busy, as usual. As he hadn't given it the thought of changing into his combat clothes, he was now approaching the building of Suna hospital dressed as the Kazekage. Everyone noticed him now, even in absence of his gourd. On the contrary, he also felt somewhat relieved about leaving that large quantity of sand at home.

He felt like more like close to civilization. He felt somehow normal.

The hospital was open, as it always was. A few nurses welcomed him politely and he inquired about the patient called Hakaime Chimyou.

'She was released today, lord Kazekage. She was taken to her house this afternoon by one of our guardians, who offered to take her home.'

He got out of the hospital, after asking for her address. A nurse offered to take him there.

They crossed over a few streets, until Gaara noticed that they had reached the old neighborhood, which was now half in constructions.

They crossed the building site and reached an old house. It was big compared to the other ones around, but not as big as his. Its walls were messy and rotten, but still, the construction was holding itself firmly on its legs. There was nothing fancy about it. In fact, you could easily take thought of it as being a museum or something. Still, Gaara hadn't the slightest idea what a museum was, so to his opinion, the architecture was very old, but still strong enough to stand.

The nurse left him, at the entrance door.

Again he did not knock, since it wasn't to his nature. He just came inside, without saying much.

The indoor was awful. In absence of anything of higher rank than a common house-need, it was almost empty. There where large corridors ahead, two at number, with three rooms each.

The walls were scratched, as a remembrance of the battles she had to face, during the conflicts with her assassin.

There were a few stains of blood on the west side of the wall, hidden behind a false silky wall.

Everything smelled of antique, cinnamon and honey.

On the little table, in front of his eyes, there lied a single candle, which seemed to have the power to lighten up the entire hall.

There was someone slightly singing a song. It was a female's voice and she was humming some notes of rather intense sadness.

There were a few chairs and a rotten vaguely broken armchair. All in all, they were weirdly put into unsuitable places.

He crossed the mess in quietness, as dragged by the sounds of the song. He went ahead, through one of those halls, as the humming became much more hearable. In the end, he faced a half-opened door.

The inside of that room smelled of freshness and like someone had entered immediately after a nice hot bath. He didn't touch the wooden old door, but instead unwillingly peeked at what was inside. The female was there, as he could hear her sing. She was faced with the back to the door and her half naked body, clean after a nice bath was covered in a black silky sheet. She was simply brushing her hair, in complete silence, as the candles in the room gave a pale light of innocence.

She had scars all over her body and the newest wound, at her ankle was wrapped in bandages still.

There was a tiny crystal bowl on the night-table, near the bed. It was filled with an amber-like liquid, which must have been honey, because it smelled so.

She often sunk the tips of two of her fingers into it and then placed it somewhere on her lips.

She did all of those without stopping the humming.

He was just watching her, as he studied every detail of her facts. He felt like his duty was to remember them all, as he now had chosen her to be his mate. He felt like he could watch her like this forever, since a sudden fever crossed his forehead and his tattoo started to hurt him, for some reason. His arms rose again, as if prepared to strike his opponent with his Sabaku Sousou. Still, the girl in front of him wasn't an opponent. She wasn't even dangerous.

The sand swiftly rose in the room, in complete silence, as her voice was still heard humming the sad song. Suddenly, the sounds were followed by words…

'Silence ahead…

and blood-like rain… it's dark…

how could I failed so?

Through shadow

I have often lived…Death awakes

Through pure snow…'

The song ended in a sweet incantation, going to lower tones. Suddenly, the sand hissed deafly, but hearable enough to make her startle frightened and turn her gaze upon the intruder of her privacy.

When seeing him, she got up on her feet:

'L-lord Kazekage…!'

Gaara woke up like from a dream and backed up, lowering his stare, as to the ground:

'Forgive me for intruding… I shall wait for you in the hall'

He turned back and chose the armchair as a place to sit. Then, he lied in quietness, as he could hear her footsteps coming in and out of some rooms in the hall. In the end, after approximately 15 minutes, she appeared in front of him, still rather lightly dressed up in a black silky robe.

Her hair was plaited freely and set to rest upon one of her shoulders, as it was still wet.

She no longer seemed a helpless little orphan vagabond, as she would firstly give that impression whilst seeing her on the streets. In fact, she very much resembled the portrait of a highly ranked young woman, beautiful and elegant, with slight independence and equilibrium. If she had accepted her destiny long ago and become a priestess, she would have brought elevated consideration to her kind.

She sat slowly on a chair, even though it seemed like not meant for such a presence like hers. She didn't smile, but only enigmatically, as to hide the rose in her cheeks. After all, she had been caught half naked by a man, especially the Kazekage.

Again, Gaara watched her as to record every movement that she made. With every gesture of hers, his muscles and tissues would agree that his mate-choosing had been the perfect one.

'Forgive me' she started, with red in her cheeks still – and her incomparable shyness – 'for welcoming you in such manners, lord Kaze-… Gaara…'

He didn't say anything, he just gazed at her. His turquoise insistency rather defied her and she felt like she was pointed by thousands of fingers. She bowed her head, as she bit her inferior lip and asked softly:

'May… m-may I ask why this unexpected visit?'

'I had no one to talk to.'

His phrases, so short and prompt, yet so sincere and filled with simplicity, told her that Gaara of the Desert was never a man to hide what he thought. He just said it, no matter how embarrassing the confession might have been, either for him, either for those who were with him. He couldn't hide what he thought. It was in his habit, since his dark past.

Still, she smiled guiltily, as replying back again softly:

'I'm certain you could have found someone else there…'

'I told you before' he stopped her words, again in a prompt fashion, 'we are alike. As such, I came to a conclusion.'

'Indeed?' she asked curiously, her eyes lifting up to gaze into his, for the first time since this visit.

'From now on my visits shall be quite often. And you are not to address to me any more as the Kazekage, but strictly as by my given name, that is Gaara.'

She startled, as her body faintly started to shiver.

'W-why…?' she asked politely, yet she sounded like a trembling child.

'Because you are my mate. And as such, you shall attend to me as your equal.'

'B-but how…? How did I become your… your… mate..?'

She almost whispered the last word, with such a strong shyness that she even bowed her head lower than before and rather smiled vaguely like a child after that.

'You are the only one who could be entitled to perfectly understand my feelings. As I said before, your story resembles mine almost identically. Besides…'

He stopped this time and seemed to have forgotten his strict and serious way of being. He looked at the ground, as he also added with a lower tone of voice:

'… you are the one I chose to be with for the rest of my days. You are my mate.'

She let her eyes down, with a sad look on her face:

'Souka…'

She heard him rise from his seat and then, she startled rather confused when seeing him grabbing her hands and lifting her from her place also:

'You are my mate now, Hakaime Chimyou… as such, you are mine and I shall protect and help you any way that I can. I shall attend to your every needs and every wish of yours shall be taken care of as if it were mine. You shan't lack of anything.'

'I guess I shall not…' she muttered rather shyly. Still, when seeing his intense gaze as if suggesting her something, the girl stiffed in her place, quite trembling with slight fear as to what was about to happen.

Gaara watched her face, contemplating it in the candles' light. It was indeed pale, but soft and delicate. She had attractive features, which again woke several instincts inside him. As such, he did what his impulses asked him to.

His arm hesitatingly circled her skinny waits and dragged her closer to him. Her breast again pressed his chest and he then drew his other arm around her. After that, his face slightly leaned to its right and bended over, pressing his lips to hers softly.

This time, it seemed that his animalistic instincts were somehow controlled by, probably the fact that he had announced her to be his mate, and she had become his finally. It was an assurance that she would never leave his sight again.

She didn't seem to mind the intimate gesture. On the contrary, she shyly dragged her arms towards his neck, but could not surround him properly, due to her petite form. Still, she touched his shoulders and held them like a child would, rather frightened of her possible clumsiness.

It was awfully quiet around and the scent of honey and cinnamon penetrated his nose as soon as he got her in his arms.

11. Why had he chosen her: she's perfectly simple…

The mission reports brought by Mahu and his men were too simple. They hadn't explained anything about secrets plans which occurred in the Country of Rock. Everything was too silent…

Gaara stopped dealing with his paperwork, as he again threw his turquoise eyes towards his Suna, through the round window.

The village seemed calm and unharmed by that silent tension which seemed to bother both him as well as his ninjas.

He suddenly thought of Chimyou. It had already been two days since he had left her house, with the assurance of announcing her of her new status, as his mate.

Her obedient and quiet way of living was keeping her from making the first steps in anything. Every evening, after their promise together, he would visit her and would make her tell him whatever she had done in that day.

She would often smile shyly and childishly and add softly that this was boring, but he didn't think so. As her mate, he thought that listening and understanding and knowing the other's secrets were part of what a mate should be.

Kankurou and Temari hadn't asked him anything special about this new thing he had to face at the moment; firstly because the paperwork would often keep him too long occupied, secondly because they were seldom asked for borders' checking.

Still, on top of all that Kazekage business, he would still find place for his mate, to spend time with her.

The other night, she looked into his eyes and distinguished a slight tiring feeling. She sat down on her chair, in front of him quietly.

'Gaara…'

He didn't answer nor did he draw any sound. But he did pay attention to what she had to say.

'Are you tired, Gaara?' she asked childishly shy.

He stood quiet for a few minutes, as to think of an appropriate answer for her satisfaction.

'No, I am not.'

She had let her eyes low at that time and stood quiet after that.

Now, as he looked out the window and thought about it, it occurred to him that maybe her quietness had appeared because of the fact that he had not been sincere with her. maybe he was tired and it hadn't been fair for her to tell him everything, while he would only be a secrets' machine gathering, without letting her know anything about himself. After all, she was his mate, but also he was her mate.

He decided to pay her an unexpected visit.

When entering her house, he had surprised her looking out of the window as if lost somewhere far away. She startled only when the door was closed.

'G-Gaara…' she muttered softly. 'W-what an unexpected visit…'

He stood in his armchair quiet, as usual. The smell of her honey lips spread across the room and he inhaled the scent, as he usually did. She took a seat in front of him:

'What happened?'

He raised his eyes inquiring and met her enigmatic smile:

'I know that something must have happened, since you usually visit me at night and let me talk about what I do all day. Now, it looks as though it's your turn to talk… what is it?'

He let his look on the ground rather thoughtfully:

'You are my mate, Chimyou-san… it's fair that you should tell me your secrets, as well as I should tell you mine. Isn't that so?'

His turquoise gaze slightly ordered her to give him a proper answer. Then again, she wouldn't have had it otherwise:

'It is so, yes… '

He lied continuously quiet.

'What is the matter, Gaara?' she asked, this time worried.

'You asked me once if I was tired… I rather believe I am…'

She stood quiet. There was silence around, during which nothing happened.

Then, she smiled gently, as she replied soft:

'Yes, I thought it might be that…'

He swiftly turned his stare at her.

'It is true that being a man of great influence as the Kazekage is a difficult task. It's never easy thinking of so many things at the same time. And attending to all sorts of meetings and formalities and military basics could be life threatening sometimes… but you must keep in mind that not long ago, you made a promise to yourself, as to become strong enough so that everyone can acknowledge you and you could become the protector of your own village. You have struggled hard to reach that status. And it was extremely tiring… it's still is. But you should carry on. The satisfaction of being a Kazekage is greater than any pleasures a mortal can have. You set yourself on this difficult task and it's only natural to feel tired sometimes. But keep in mind that everything tiring might sometimes be worth it...'

She leaned back on her chair, smiling fatigued:

'… even being the Kazekage…'

There was again a moment of silence, during which she lied obediently before him, with her eyes set on the ground. He contemplated her in those minutes of silence.

'I have chosen you well to be my mate' he replied softly.

'I am glad…' she sort of giggled, as she slowly bounced her body to the left and right, like a child.

'Will you not move in my house? Everything belongs to you as well as it belongs to me' he added seriously, as usual.

She startled, as she raised her blood-like gaze:

'M-move in…? Oh, I couldn't possibly… this is…my home. I c-can't…'

Her shy trembling woke the instincts in him. Her innocence was an elixir too much to bear in mind. Her shyness, as well as her innocence and her attractiveness made this petite seductress rather the greatest weakness of his senses.

He felt that if he were to kiss her right now, the gesture would only be too violent.

He drew his eyes on the ground, as bursting out:

'As my mate, I want you close to me, therefore you shall move into my house.'

If he were more familiar to human emotional feelings, he would have startled visibly frightened at that moment. He knew that he had used a rather tough and dominating tone of voice.

She sensed that too and he also knew that, since he saw her body slightly trembling.

'I-if that is what you wish… t-then… I shall move in tomorrow…'

He couldn't take back on his words. He just couldn't say "sorry" on her. It was something which his mouth opened up to fulfill, but refused at the same time. And thus, it was planned that she had to move in, through an order of his. He didn't like to leave that impression on her.

'Chimyou…'

She startled.

'You don't have to move… forgive my rudeness… you may stay here, as you please.'

She smiled:

'A-arigato gozaimas…'

She saw his look turning to the ground again and took a deep breath, as she continued like she hadn't had the time to finish her sentence:

'… but I would rather move in tomorrow, since you are tired. I shall be with you there when you are tired and I shall try to entertain you'

Gaara lifted his gaze and saw her vivid smile. He realized that she was doing this for him, since her first reaction was a refusal to his request. She had done this for him. No one had ever done anything to please him in such a polite and yet personal manner. Everyone would have done so because of fear for him. She didn't seem to bear the feeling of fright when continuing her sentence as to agree to his request. She was doing this out of her own free will. She was giving up on something for him. She was a well-made choice…

'I'll see to it tomorrow, then' she smiled continuously and got up on her feet, but the sand sizzled under her palm, as it circled her wrist.

'Thank you, Chimyou…'

She smiled pleasantly:

'You are very welcome, Gaara…'

12. This thing has not been arranged: misunderstanding…

The next day was bright enough to let the sunlight in through the cool breeze, even though summer had passed for quite some time now.

The daily reports were brought, as usual to the Kazekage's desk.

Gaara was utterly bored of such business, but then when letting himself on his armchair, tired of signing all that paper duties, he remembered what Chimyou had said to him last night and it made him once more attend with seriousness to his duties.

Kankurou entered first into his office, bringing him new repots:

'Hi there, Gaara! Sorry I haven't been here lately. Nothing weird going on towards the borders. Not a hint. And my men say that everything must have gotten to its end, since none of them heard any plot by now.'

'Are you sure?'

'I'm certain. My men would have said something fishy was going on by now.'

Gaara received his papers, with thoughtfulness for the given situation.

Kankurou waited in silence, as his younger brother looked upon the newest reports. He swiftly thought of Gaara's decision, of getting himself a mate.

'Gaara? How's the mate-thing going on?'

His brother threw him an indifferent-like face, while answering plainly:

'It is very well'

'Aha…'

Suddenly, someone was heard knocking at the Kazekage's door. The two boys swiftly watched the heavy wooden door.

'Yes?' Gaara asked, inquiringly.

The door opened slowly and a tiny pale hand appeared grabbing the wood from which the door was made.

A girl's face half appeared through the crack, as she smiled shyly:

'G-good morning… was I intruding?'

As recognizing Chimyou, Gaara let the papers down on his table, as he said:

'No, of course not, come in'

The girl came inside, while Kankurou was watching her at to observe in details what kind of mate did his younger brother chose for himself.

She pretty, not at all tall, skinny and wore too much black over her pale skin. She was garbed in a long dark dress, which was tightened up at her waist with a thick long silk.

Her hair was long and often curling alongside her back, but it was only because she often kept it in plaited tails. Now, it was long and half covering her left eye.

She was indeed attractive and rather seductive, since he sensed the same mysterious aura that had covered his younger brother as well.

Indeed, she might have been suitable for Gaara.

She closed the door behind her and then backed up in a corner, obediently, as she knew that this burrow was filled with rather serious businesses and not some childish games.

'I must go somewhere, I shall be quick, though' said Gaara and then went out of the office, leaving them both alone.

Kankurou cleared his throat and felt that he had to say something, since she was officially his younger brother's mate.

'S-so… how's everything going between you two? Gaara tells me it's fine' Kankurou smiled.

She startled and looked at him. She then smiled back:

'Y-yes, it is… I … suppose…'

Her eyes suddenly fell on the ground sadly. Kankurou watched her confused:

'Is there something wrong?'

'N-no, nothing's wrong…'

'I, a… understood he had you move to his house now…'

'Y-yes, I was done just this morning, I came here to announce him that. No more, since he has other business to attend to first. Suna shall be his primarily plan.'

She again smiled, but this time bitterly.

'Right…' Kankurou muttered.

He felt that she was sad about something. If he indeed believed that she had loved his brother, then something was problematic here and he had to assure her about something.

'C-Chimyou-san, may I ask you a personal question?'

'Y-yes, of course…'

'I know it's not my business… and I trust my brother's instincts. He had some tough times before this and… well, I love him, as an older brother I should… still, he had kept his secret way of being and… well, the point is that… what I wanted to ask is… do you love him?'

She startled. Her trembling gave away her emotions, as she let her head down and answered shyly:

'You may think of me as a liar when I say this, but I do… I really do…'

Kankurou smiled:

'I believe you then. After all, I believe in who my brother chose for to be his mate.'

'Yes…' she muttered softly.

Still, there were things which hadn't been told and Kankurou sensed that.

'You know…' he added, seriously, and she startled, as she looked at him, 'Gaara is not the type to say "I love you", you're well aware of that, aren't you?'

She looked down sadly, again:

'H-hai…'

'His own way of loving is special, though… he's a man more of facts, than of words.'

'I see…' she sounded still sad.

'What I'm trying to say here, Chimyou-san, is that this thing with mate and stuff… it's not been arranged…'

She startled, and lifted her eyes frightened. She trembled visibly now.

'N-not been arranged…?'

'No. He came to us one day and asked us of what he should feel when finding a mate for himself. It was his own choice, you know. He wasn't forced. He must feel something for you… something very special, since he had made this decision of making you his mate.'

Kankurou smiled and he did it so sincere that she read no doubt what-so-ever in them. Her heart started to beat so hard that you could swiftly hear it if you had sharp ears. He had chosen her willingly to be his mate?!

'And you rather changed him too, since I sense some strength in him every time I come around here. It's like he's revived.'

Kankurou finished his speech with the satisfaction that the tension around was no longer present. So, this must have been what it had been bothering her. This girl really loved his younger brother, but was hurt enough because of misunderstanding Gaara's decision of choosing her to be his mate. She must have thought that Gaara had done this unwillingly, but it wasn't at all like that.

The price for not saying a damn word about it Kankurou mumbled to himself. You're an idiot sometimes, Gaara!

The girl fell on a chair almost as if fainted, but she bared a dreaming-like smile on her face. She turned red in her cheeks and then she got up slowly and childishly.

Just then, the door opened again and Gaara came inside with another pail of papers.

'Kankurou, have you talked with Temari yet? What had she had to say?'

'G-Gaara…?'

The soft and shy voice made him turn to his mate:

'Yes, Chimyou?'

'I… I only wanted you to know I've moved in today…'

She opened the door, because she felt like getting out of there as quick as possible.

'H-have a nice day… G-goodbye, Kankurou-kun…'

'Yeah, bye, Chimyou-san!'

Kankurou smiled pleasantly to her, as she got out of the room in complete silence.

Gaara stood in his place for a few, not knowing exactly what had occurred, during his absence, but her childish smile told him that it must have been of no harm or evil in any way. After all, even his brother had a lighter face then when he had come in.

He went back to his armchair, at his desk and said:

'We must still keep our eyes open about this business with the Tsuchikage'

13. So, this is official: a rather family surprise…

She lied quiet in the Kazekage's house. She had just moved in, by taking only a few of her clothes and now wondered what she would do in a house as big as this, all alone.

She chose the roof as to rest there and relax her eyes with a pleasant sight of a vivid village.

She could see the streets filled with people and children and animals, as well as the ninja school crying out of enthusiastic students as they trained hard and noticeable.

Everyone seemed to have gone on with its life, as everyday, as before. She felt something different, and yet nothing was actually otherwise, but only at the surface.

She had been turned up as someone's mate. Which meant that she was no longer alone. She had been turned as Gaara of the Desert's mate, which meant a wonderful thing for her heart which had possessed a high affection for this boy, who was now the Kazekage of this village.

Still, something felt like it was the same as before. She couldn't tell what exactly, but it was there.

She had kept her knife which she now held in her hands, as she looked at it unwillingly. She thought of nothing, but of her loneliness and that this mate thing was, at its essence, something not worth it. They both felt alone, utterly alone. And they felt it so often that they had gotten used to it as to liking it.

If they were the same, then it meant that Gaara had built a world of his own, through this loneliness so daily present. Which meant that letting someone in, through this world might be a great task to accomplish. She knew all that because she knew herself very well.

They would be officially mates from now on. But would they become closer to each other, as to actually define that concept? She couldn't tell. That's what kept on being the same, in the end. She figured that out just now…

It was almost time to lay it all for tomorrow, since Gaara leaned back on his chair, tired and bored of all that paperwork.

He looked through his window, as he would usually do, to ease his sight.

He saw someone coming towards the building where he was staying. The person was dressed in a black robe and the way he moved made Gaara recognize him.

She waited at the entrance door until it would open and Gaara came out.

'Oh, good evening' Chimyou greeted him politely, as she smiled rather tired.

'What are you doing here?' he asked plainly.

'Well, I thought I would come by and stay with you until you would have finished your duties.'

'I see' he added, with his indifferent manner, then turned and locked the door, after that he turned towards her and stopped his gaze upon her dress.

She seemed to have had another one, but of the same color. Only this time, its collar was a slight V which perfectly matched the forms of her neck and defined it with a little seduction.

He sensed as though bewitched for a few seconds, as she again took the shape of a striking temptation. She smiled nicely and he drew his look on the ground:

'You shouldn't have come here; it's late at night…'

'Oh, well, I knew the streets very well, nothing could've happened to me, you know'

She used a light-hearted tone of voice, which seemed to have eased his tension.

Still, it was as though they were both waiting for something.

Gaara didn't know exactly what to do. Seeing her keeping her head down, waiting for his possible moves, as an obedient child, he thought that this was one of those intimate moments, when he would have to do what most mates usually do. He didn't exactly know what, but it had to be another gesture of caring about his mate, apart from that of kissing her.

He tried to remember what Shikamaru did whenever he was alone with his sister, Temari. Then again, this relationship of his sister's wasn't exactly official, only filled with gestures of teasing each other.

He took a deep breath and looked down the earth:

'Sumimase…'

She startled surprised and watched him confused:

'W-why… why are you apologizing, Gaara?'

Suddenly, she startled once more, as she felt the sand sparkling around her waist, dragging her towards its master's body.

As soon as her body was standing close to his, he strained his arm around her skinny waist and drew her even closer to him.

As she didn't know what he wanted to do to her, she thought that it might be rather too bold to wrap her arms around his neck; firstly, because she had barely reached his shoulders, and secondly, because of her utmost shyness.

Still, she let him do as he would please with her, since he had reminded her so often that she was his mate and it was only reasonable that such gestures of high privacy should occur between them.

He bended over and pressed his mouth against hers into their third kiss. It was as tender as the second one, since he didn't want to scare her away with his so violent and incontrollable instincts.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps and so did Gaara, since he swiftly let go of her lips, but not of her waist.

It was Kankurou and Temari. The look on their faces showed that even though they might have been hiding it, they had surely surprised the intimacy between their younger brother and his mate. That is, they had surely saw Gaara kiss her.

She suddenly turned bursting into flames through her cheek, as her hand quietly searched his to get it off of her waist. Still, his firm grip turned even firmer, as he refused to please her and let go of this rather embarrassing moment for her.

Kankurou was the first one to drag himself out of this surprise. He cleared his throat intentionally, as he came nearer to the couple:

'Ahem…! Gaara, I didn't expect you to be still here at this late hour.'

'Nor did I expect you' Gaara answered back, as he stiffly held her waist next to his, warming it up.

Because she was so thin, it was easy for the person staring at them to see him holding her so intimately. She held her head down, in a gesture of obedience, yet embarrassment.

'W-we had just finished our patrolling around the borders' Temari interfered. 'Have you finished with your paperwork only now, Gaara?'

'Yes, I have. Chimyou had come to walk with me home.'

'Oh, I see. How considerate of her…'

She looked at the blond, rather older girl in front of her. Temari seemed to wear a nice and sincere smile:

'That's very nice of you, Chimyou-san…'

'Yeah, it is!' Kankurou burst out simply polite. 'Hey, listen, Gaara…'

As soon as everything seemed to be settled in both of the older brothers' minds that from now on such intimate gestures were to be expected form their precious Gaara towards his mate, they went back to their own business, as speaking of military basics and other benefits for their beloved Suna.

His hand swiftly withdrew from her waist, but instantly strained through her arm and grabbed her hand.

As Kankurou and Temari lied both on their brother's left side, she felt as if she were ignored rather at that moment.

Still, at times, Gaara would tighten his grip, as to make her notice that he had not forgotten about her.

At one point, he dragged her closer to him and again, surrounded her with his arm, closing to her and filling his nostrils with her honey and cinnamon scent. It was highly impossible to forget about such a creature as Hakaime Chimyou. He just simply could not do that.

14. Danger approaches: What's going on…?

The world is not enough, but it is such a perfect place to start! And if you're strong enough, together we can take the world apart, my love… I feel silly, I feel scared… I feel ready and yet unprepared!

She thought of those worlds and for a moment, she believed they belonged to someone else, whom she had never met before.

Today, she was again alone in the house, because Gaara had left for his Kazekage business.

It was quiet around and nothing was out of order, as the previous night had passed without any other embarrassing moments for her.

She couldn't at all blame him for doing those intimate gestures in front of his brothers. As her mate, Gaara felt the need to show people that matter, as a warning for those men who dared approach Chimyou, without knowing her social status. That is what she thought.

The truth was in fact that Gaara cared about her and felt like he should show her that in a way that she hadn't been chosen a mate for nothing.

Still, she didn't mind those things, in their essence. In fact, it would have equally pleased her even if he absented of those intimacies, as long as she knew that in his heart, he loved her.

There were a lot of things which she couldn't understand about him, but even so she loved him still, as she always had.

She finally decided that staying in the house wouldn't do her too much better, so she got dressed and went out to visit her old house and spend some quiet and lonely time there.

Gaara startled. News about some secret ninjas of the Country of Rock lied before him in the shape of an important report, brought by Kankurou just this morning.

'Yes, it's true. Some of the Iwa ninjas have been spotted around the south borders of The Country of Wind. Mahu could tell you more in his report here. He had written it down.'

'What were they doing there?'

'Checking the borders. It was one of his men's idea. Apparently, a good idea, since they've spotted some of the rock-ninjas dealing in secret with some merchandisers. Trading weaponry, or so I was told. The report is more detailed than just simple words.'

'Yes… well, then, keep your eyes as open as possible. And check the Suna borders for any eventuality. If we are to be attacked by dawn or at midnight, we must have our walls strong enough to last before we regroup ourselves.'

'Alright! I'm on my way!'

Kankurou went out of the room, leaving Gaara to sit down his chair, analyzing this rather awkward situation.

Iwa ninjas…? So, the Tsuchikage is preparing something, after all. I have to keep my eyes open and ask for Konoha's help any minute now, if we are to be attacked in a large number. Suna is strong, but Iwa is older with strength and I might underestimate them too much.

He threw himself on the chair again, breathing hard. He didn't want such a situation at this very moment. He didn't like it. He had been through a worse situation than this, and he had ended up being without any chakra and kidnapped. What now? Why now?

It was better off when he was a kid and had missions and he was simple ninja, who only had to deal with orders and other stuffs, not so many political, military and economical problems. It was all that he could bare. He liked going on missions before becoming the Kazekage! Why did he have to become the Kazekage? Why? He knew why. He wanted to be acknowledged by everyone in this village. He wanted to be seen as a hero, no longer a monster.

He wanted to show Suna that even though the villagers hated him, he would be able to protect and give his life to its limit for them. He had come this far and he wasn't going to give up now. He had responsibilities, which weren't easy, but he had been aware of this possible scenario before choosing a Kazekage's life. He knew things like this might happen some day. He had to be aware of that.

Now, he had reached that point. And he wasn't going to give up now. Not now, not ever. He would be the Kazekage Suna lacked for years.

Later on, that day, his ninja masters came to him with reports and some showed a vague activity of the Iwa ninjas. They were drawing closer to the borders of Suna.

At night, he placed several groups on each side of the borders, doubling the number of men protecting the gates.

Anything weird or silently mysterious was to be reported, no matter the hour. Most importantly, no one was to let their guard down.

He returned home late only to let his mate know of the actions that were occurring here and that she should be careful.

Still, he didn't find her home.

She fell asleep on her old armchair by the little bottle of honey she had brought form the market place this morning.

She didn't feel the quiet footsteps of someone entering her old house.

She was asleep.

Suddenly, the silhouette grabbed her arm and woke her up so sudden that she startled form the nightmare with her assassin, screaming.

She then saw it was Gaara:

'a-agh… it's… it's only you…'

'What were you doing here?'

His tone of voice seemed again to be rather tough. She rubbed her eyes, as to wake up properly and then she said:

'I… I was alone in the house and I didn't have anything to do so I went here to spend my time alone and…'

'I've looked everywhere for you. You should have let me know.'

His severe tone made her look down sadly, as she said softer:

'I'm … I'm sorry… I didn't mean to upset you, Gaara…'

He sniffed rather coldly, but then seeing her so guiltily looking down, he lifted her face with the tip of his fingers under her chin:

'I apologize as well, since I had no right of stopping you from doing whatever you please. Forgive me as well.'

'Y-you were concerned, that's all' she smiled tiredly. 'I understand you…'

She came closer to his face and kissed him delicately on his cheek, as she returned with a bit of blush into her own ones.

'Chimyou…?'

'Hm?' she mumbled gently, as she leaned back on her armchair, this time with her looked set upon the void dreamingly.

He watched her quietly, while studying her features. She already had parts in her evolving into that of a woman's. Especially those which defined the best what gender she was.

Her breasts slowly increased and decreased, as it filled her chest in attractive round forms. A thin line appeared in between them, to the V-like collar, as she sat down and again closed her eyes with a tender and enigmatic smile on her face.

It was as if she was bothered often by many things, but since no one would do anything as to fix it up, she would have to put up with the situation by herself and lay resting more often than an old lady.

'I'd rather…' Gaara continued slowly, as not to hurry her in any way. 'I'd rather… you come with me tonight. I received some reports about the Iwa ninjas…'

'I-Iwa ninjas?' she suddenly bumped frightened.

Her body started to tremble.

'Yes. It appears they have reached our borders and we must be prepared. We have no idea where they are hiding, but we must be prepared.'

'Well, then, I shall attend to…'

The door squalled silently, as they both turned to face it.

Gaara suddenly placed himself in front of her, as he felt her tiny hands grabbing his shoulders.

He took a position which defined defending himself for any sudden attack.

From this on, it could have been that the Country of Rock's ninjas might have already been infiltrated in Suna by now, without their notice.

Every weird noise was to be taken with caution. As now.

Gaara thanked himself for considering dressing into his combat clothes, as he felt the gourd in his back and his mate as well.

The sand started to come out of his gourd, as it sizzled in complete silence.

'No matter what happens, you stay in my back…'he said, whispering.

She didn't answer because she had no means to do so, since he had already known that she could never part from him in this situation.

Without moving, he commanded some sand to turn into a hand and grab the door to open it properly.

There was no one there.

'M-maybe it was the wind?' she suggested, trembling.

'No, it isn't. I sense blood… come out wherever you are, your smell, I can detect easily!' he shouted in his indifferent cold manner.

15. The Kazekage targeted: What's with this mission…?

The entrance to the dark night revealed a dark and tall Suna ninja.

His face was rather toughly wounded and he even drew an evil smile, while appearing in the entrance door:

'Good evening, Lord Kazekage… I have come here to announce you that everything's fine until now.'

She trembled even harder, as she sensed that almost invisible smile. She pulled Gaara's neck until his ears reached her lips and she whispered:

'He's not from Suna…'

'I know' Gaara said, as he drew his impassible look towards the man in front of them. 'Who are you anyway? Were you sent by the Tsuchikage?'

'No… not at all…'

Gaara startled confused, whilst the man dragged the Suna clothes away, revealing a light heavy armor, holding a dragon's head as a decoration for his belt. The dragon's mouth was open and it revealed a weird gap.

The man gathered his hands into a technique using union, as the belt started to turn blue with chakra.

This is bad thought Gaara, as he dragged his mate even closer.

'Chimyou, hide from here and as soon as possible, get out of this house…'

'But…'

'You shall do as you are told!' he rather ordered, as the sand dragged out from his gourd.

He let go of her and she hid behind one of the hall's walls.

Her body trembled even harder, as she never saw the one she loved in a battle before and she was frightened for his life.

The man in front of them grinned ugly:

'You thought well when speaking about the Tsuchikage. But others were his business and it didn't even include the Country of Wind. I come from the Country of Water…

He suddenly laughed as he drew his hands towards Gaara and made tunnel of water emerge from his palms as to attack the Kazekage.

The sand unwillingly protected him, but it soon turned wet and it fractured in millions of pieces. Gaara startled.

'You can't use your sand, boy! I work with water, not with anything else rather than…'

'Suna Shigure!' he yelled swiftly and the man was suddenly attacked by thousands of sand needles.

Mixed with chakra and too fast for the man to defend himself, he got struck by all of them, as he was suddenly pulled out of the house, while yelling of pain.

'Agh! You damn brat!' he screamed really furious, when Gaara also got out of the house. He wasn't finished attacking though. He quickly raised his hands, as commanding the sand to circle the man's body:

'Sabaku…'

'That'll be enough!' the other one burst out and scattered his sand with a flash of water. The sand was wet again, and you could see a bluish wire coming form it dragged by the dragon's opened mouth, from the belt.

The man smiled:

'You have to understand that every attack of yours which you use with sand mixed with chakra, I shall break and this belt is used to suck up chakra. Have you got any more? I feel like my strength has gotten bigger! Ha, ha, ha!'

Gaara looked around in that moment of nothingness. The streets were empty but it seemed that there were several screams and yelling coming from the borders.

'Don't look too shocked, boy. I didn't come here alone, you know' the man grinned joyfully. Anyways, your fight is with me, not with anybody else!'

16. Gaara's pain: she dies…

Kankurou had not sensed the danger. So there were many of the opponents dressed as Suna ninjas. They were taken by surprise and they were quite weaponless.

The fight had been going on for half an hour already and most of his men had prevailed but were too tired now, in the eventuality that others might appear.

He swiftly called up for reinforcements, as sending two of his men to Konoha to call for help immediately. Still, when doing so, he realized that this might take several days, and they only had a few hours left, as it appeared. He couldn't lack of men any more.

Temari was fighting on the east side, while she had already taken the time to warn several villagers and put them to safety, as she had done with the others, under the barricades.

The night falling on Suna was bloody and filled with cries and ninja techniques, some of blood-line limit, some of the highest level of training possible.

It lingered with a few3 hours more.

Gaara suddenly turned to his left, as he couldn't any more keep up with the man in front of him. He could only hear the man's evil laughter, as he appeared and disappeared in many places almost at the same time, due to his increasing speed.

He had sucked out all of his chakra so all that Gaara could depend on was his taijutsu at which he wasn't very good at, since he hadn't had the spirit of training too much, since his best weapon was the sand.

A spike of ice penetrated his shoulder, as he growled tired and fell on the ground.

The man approached him, with an evil smile:

'I told you, lad: the more you fought me the more your chakra would have decreased. You have none left in you, since my powers have increased considerably. What will you do now… lord Kazekage? You were never fit to be chosen as such! A monster like you should have died a long time ago, when the rumors pleased us with your kidnap by the Akatsuki. Why couldn't you be a good boy and die then, huh? Can you not sense that you are still the little bastard brat which everyone hates and revolts?! You cannot fight the past, boy, no matter how hard you try. For them you shan't be the Kazekage, but the monster they had always wished to kill… ha, ha, ha!'

Gaara growled and tried once more to re-rise some sand, but it wasn't at all to his benefit since the deep would in his shoulder hurt him very bad when doing so, and after all, the sand was already too wet to rise. And he lacked of the smallest bit of chakra.

The man turned his back against him and furthered away from him, as he again played with his hands and performing another technique.

When turning, he had already done them, when saying:

'You shall always be the relic that everyone had wished of killing at night, when no one was watching… die now, boy!'

The water was called from his gathered palms like a sword and as it flew straight towards Gaara, it turned into a deadly javelin, flying with incredible speed.

Gaara closed his eyes, as he felt that this time, Naruto or anybody else could never bring him back to life.

He had prepared his chest to be struck by the deadly sharp weapon.

Suddenly, something happened. He heard a deaf cry, and then his opponent screaming out, like he had been drowning himself.

He opened his eyes. Suddenly, he started to shake considerably, as he saw who had received the javelin instead of him…

Chimyou trembled much more visible than she had ever done in her life. She coughed something which pushed against her chest inside, and the drops that fell on the Kazekage's face were of a blood-like color like her eyes.

The javelin had penetrated her stomach considerably and it made her rather crouch like a grasshopper, whilst facing her opponent. The man now was struggling through his muscles to pull out the golden knife from his neck.

He had been dead for several minutes, but the contractions of his muscles remained as if he were struggling like a headless chicken.

She coughed again, as she drew an enigmatic smile on her face, while watching the man's dead body:

'You have no idea about that…'

'C-Chimyou…?'

Gaara hardly got up on his feet, as he couldn't stand properly. She turned her face towards him, with her nice smile:

'G-Gaara? You're alright, aren't… you?'

She coughed, as she fell on her knees, and was about to touch the wet sand when Gaara grabbed her in his arms. He was shaking considerably. His jaded gaze was so pointed out that you could easily think he'd explode.

Tiny red veins were seen circling his turquoise iris, as he watched his mate's blood spread around his clothes.

'Ch-Chimyou…'

The sight reminded his of his uncle's dead body, when he was a child.

'GAARA!' someone called and it appeared to be Kankurou's voice.

Still, Gaara remained not answering his brother's call.

She started to cough again and then smiled to him:

'I'm not going to die… I will not until you shall die… I c-can't… n-not… right… now…'

'What should I do? Don't leave me!'

He started to tremble even harder, as his hands no longer controlled the rush of blood through the veins.

'Don't leave me, Chimyou!'

'I will… not… I … love… you…'

Her head fell motionlessly…

'DON"T LEAVE ME!!!!!!!!!!'

17. Leave out all the rest: the last of her kind…

Gaara remained quietly on the bench, as a blond-haired guy agitated around quite not-like himself.

Uzumaki Naruto was as concerned about this as he was concerned about his brother-like friend, Gaara.

It had been a month since Suna had been vaguely attacked by so-called Iwa ninjas. In fact, Kankurou had later found out that they were exiled ones and were acting on their own.

Konoha was called up for needs by Suna several days ago.

Everyone else was in mission, except Naruto and Sakura.

Naruto was now waiting in the hall with Gaara, as Sakura was inside the Emergencies' room with several other medical nin and nonetheless the Hokage herself, lady Tsunade.

'S-she'll be fine, you know, Gaara' Naruto tried to cheer up his friend. He knew that Gaara never laughed for more than a millimeter, but it was something within that jaded gaze of his, which had torn Naruto's heart apart, figuring out that this medical case was eating from his friend's inside.

'Tsunade-no-baa-chan will do her well. Remember Fuzzy Eyebrows? Everyone else said that he wouldn't be able to walk anymore, but he did! You'll see! Tsunade will revive her better than she was before!'

Naruto smiled his usual vivid smile. Gaara watched him quietly.

His face was tender, as he knew that if it hadn't been for Naruto, Lady Hokage would have never tried this. Naruto had sat on her head with this situation the minute he found out that Gaara was in trouble. If it hadn't been for him, a lot of things couldn't have happened. He knew that now Naruto was doing his best to make him feel better.

He thought of her the night she had died. She took her life away for him. She had told him she loved him. She was indeed someone with which he wished he could have spent the rest of his life.

He couldn't be capable of loving the way a normal man would. He could always feel cold and indifferent to her, as his own way of being denied sometimes the human feelings and the emotions which love gave you.

Still, he cared about her. In his own way, but he did and that was more important to him, than anything.

However, he believed that it was his fault she was now resting in surgery, dead for three weeks.

'Naruto…' he muttered softly and his friend looked at him.

'Yeah, Gaara?'

'Could I be… capable of loving…?'

Naruto smiled gently, as he put his hand on Gaara's shoulder, while the redhead lifted his gaze upon him.

'You will be capable of everything, Gaara. Just give in some time and hope. You're the greatest Kazekage I've ever had the pleasure of facing. You've achieved many things. One thing, loving, will be another. Just give it hope and time.'

Naruto backed up, again patting his hand on his shoulder friendly.

As soon as he had found out that Sakura came up with the technique of curing someone's actual death with medicinal herbs, he was to persuade Tsunade-sama to save his friend's mate immediately. Although the surgery hadn't been tested yet and nothing could be assured, she had agreed and now she was performing this technique on Hakaime Chimyou, who had been killed three weeks ago.

It was a hopeless situation for Naruto and a heart-breaking one for Gaara. What could he have done if she were not to wake up anymore? What mate should he then pick? It was his first attempt on this case and it was a hopeless one, as it appeared.

Suddenly, the door slowly opened and outside came a rather ruffled Sakura with a sad look on her face.

'Eh?' Naruto jumped on her worried. 'What happened? Is she awake? Ha? Ha? Ha!?'

'Hush now, Naruto…' she muttered sadly, as she cleaned her hands with a dirty cloth. She approached Gaara, with her eyes on the floor.

'G-Gaara… I'm sorry… but we couldn't…'

'That's impossible!' bumped Naruto unpleasantly shocked. 'Tsunade-no-baa-chan told me she could do it! She has to!'

'Well, we've been there for several hours and we couldn't do anything! What makes you think that we'll succeed now?! I told you, Naruto! I told you that this thing wouldn't work! Now, you've set Gaara hopes for nothing!'

'That's impossible!' Naruto cried out loud furiously, as he saw his friend's gaze turn even lower on the ground.

'Naruto…' he growled shortly.

The others startled worried, as Gaara trembled slightly in his seat.

Suddenly, someone bumped:

'Sakura, you idiot!'

They all startled visibly surprised and Naruto bumped:

'Tsunade-no-baa-chan!'

'How could you be so idiot, little lady! Why did you leave my sight and poured out hopeless idiocies to these boys?!'

Tsunade-sama smiled after that, as she looked at Naruto.

Naruto jumped in the air:

'Honto ni?! Yahoo! Did you hear that?!?! She succeeded!'

'B-but I don't understand…' Sakura muttered confused.

'You couldn't because you left the room before I could tell you what to do next' Tsunade-sama answered rather annoyed. 'How many times have I told you never to leave the room, until things are really over?! Seriously, Sakura, it's as if I haven't trained you in these past years!'

Gaara got up from his place rather confused of this awkwardly joyful situation. He saw Naruto jumping around happily, as Sakura hit the top of her forehead, smiling guiltily.

Then, lady Hokage came to him, smiling politely:

'As to make this clear, lord Kazekage, she is fine. She hadn't been dead for too a long time, so the process was quite quick. It was rather difficult, but quick. You'll be able to see her in the morning, tomorrow'

The woman smiled continuously, as she went out the hall, bursting out:

'Sakura, come with me!'

'H-hai, Tsunade-sama!'

She vaguely smiled to Naruto, and then giggled joyfully to Gaara, after that she followed her sensei outside.

Naruto jumped joyfully and then sat aside Gaara:

'See? I told you, I told you, I told you! Ya-ta!!!! This it great! Ha, ha! Tsunade-sama's the greatest!'

Gaara watched him, as he couldn't smile. Still, he did draw a thin line which defined a rather joyful smirk. He was about to take it slow.

Now, his mate was alive. Hakaime Chimyou had resurrected.

18. Where do we go from here: you're mine at last…

Gaara stopped in front of the door.

He was told that he could see her in this morning, after she had been transferred to the Konoha hospital.

He sniffed rather concerned, as his hands grabbed the door-handle and pulled from it.

The first time he had entered in this building was at the Chuunin exam, when he had tried to kill Lee. The second time was when he had been saved by Naruto's friends after fighting the warriors from Takumi village.

Who ever said the third time was with luck must have known what he was saying.

As he entered the room, he noticed a long bed with clean sheets. The window was widely open, as to let the sunlight in. the warmth around was overwhelming.

The scent of honey and cinnamon was no longer that strong, but it was present, due to the fact that someone had brought the patient some honey in a little bowl, on the night-table, next to the bed.

The patient was asleep, as it appeared.

Her hand was resting carelessly on one of her breasts, as her chest was slowly increasing and decreasing. She was pale, as usual and she smelled of freshness and life again.

She had her mouth half-open, as she had been drowned into a deep sleep.

Gaara watched her in silence. She was very pretty and very attractive like this, and he couldn't understand how he would have gotten along without her face anymore.

She was breathing… she was alive… she was sleeping carelessly now.

She was his again…

His hand touched her cheek delicately, as he whispered:

'You're my mate…I… I l-…'

He took a deep breath and once again tried, but still whispering:

'I l-love… you… as well…'

It sounded funny coming out from his mouth. He never was a man of words, but of facts. That was a reality. Still, he had said it and it felt utterly strange. Yet, he sensed his feelings somewhat reassured now. He had finally said it.

She sniffed and yawned suddenly.

She lifted her arms as to stretch her hands and accidentally hit his chest. She woke up sleepy and smiled nicely to him:

'Oh, Gaara… forgive, did I hit you?'

He didn't answer that. It was a rather silly question. Still, he took a seat at the edge of her bed:

'You're awake. You should rest still'

'Oh, I feel as though I slept continuously for many days. Is everything alright?'

'Yes, it is. I shall have to return to Suna tomorrow, as to check upon the damages, but when you are ready, please inform me so that I may come to pick you up, then, Chimyou.'

'I will' she yawned again sleepy.

She woke up on her bones, when smiling to him:

'Gaara? May I do something to you?'

'You may do as you please. We are mates and as such whatever you wish shall be taken care of. You are mine now, Chimyou, as well as I am yours…'

Suddenly, she hugged him tightly, without letting him finish properly. He startled rather surprised of her sudden gesture, but soon found her embrace a new intimate shrug of showing her affection towards him rather pleasant, as he also dragged his arms around her.

'I thought I had lost you back then' she whispered slowly.

'As you can see, I am here. You once told me that you could never die unless I die. We are bound together, Chimyou. It would be impossible for you to lose me, as it would be unlikely for me to lose you.'

'Yes, I suppose you're right…'

She felt good at his chest, sniffing in his male-like smell of strength and power. She felt protected in those once murderous hands. It was long ago that she had feared him so for his murderous intended eyes. Now, his jaded gaze seemed to have an immense feeling of protection upon her, since she wouldn't have liked to be parted form him again.

In that moment, he swiftly thought of another thing which unwillingly identified them one with each other. He had also lost his life, in death, a long time ago. Now, she has resurrected from the dead. This might have been another sign that they were meant to be together.

He parted form her and pressed his lips again, in a stupid-like kiss, this time. It wasn't meant to show her anything. He just felt like savoring her honey scent, through his saliva, so that he could leave with a bit of her taste, tomorrow in Suna.

His tongue inside swiftly grabbed some of that sweet dribbling before parting his lips from those seductive foreign ones.

He opened his eyes and saw her still with hers shut. She was smiling dreamingly.

'Dango…' she whispered sweetly. 'I feel like dango and tea…'

'Then we shall have some, in Suna… as soon as you get better.'

'Thank you' she again sounded sweet and embraced him, as she pressed her breasts against his chest. His animalistic instincts were turned on once more, but now he knew that she wouldn't refuse anything of his doing upon her. She was his and only his. And they had all the time in world.

It was a strange thing, how life had worked on him. But it was probably for the best. And she must have been the reward for struggling to be the Kazekage Suna had always dreamed of having.

It was overwhelming… overwhelming and wonderful…