Written in the Stars: A Love Story
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Chapter One
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Mayuri Takashi is having an uneventful day. She woke up, ate breakfast and went on duty as a medic in the village infirmary. Aside from minor casualties of injured men and shinobis, there wasn't really much to make a fuss about. The village was peaceful as it was for the past few weeks and Mayuri was of course, grateful.
"Alright, you're good to go!" Mayuri said cheerfully as she finished bandaging the wounded village guard Toushiro.
"Arrigattou Mayuri-san! You're indeed the best medic in town!" Toushiro said.
This made her blush a little as she replied, "Now, now, Toushiro! Those jokes will get you nowhere."
Toushiro laughed and said, "No kidding! With you around, I wouldn't mind getting a scrape or a broken leg twice in a row!"
She patted Toushiro's injured arm slightly and said, "Let's both hope it will not come to that, alright?"
Suddenly a commotion started outside the infirmary. Curious, she stood up and was about to go outside when her mentor, Kyoraku-sensei called out, "Mayuri! We need you here! Hurry!"
Heart racing, she went outside the infirmary and to her surprise, Maki and Sari, ninjas of the Sand Village, were carrying a badly wounded man.
At first, she didn't recognize the man. But upon closer inspection, her eyes widened in disbelief.
"Help us! It's the Kazekage!" Sari cried out.
True enough, it's Gaara, the 5th Kazekage and he is bleeding profusely.
It was Kyoraku-sensei who snapped her out from shock. "Mayuri, get the room and instruments ready!"
Still unable to fathom what could have caused the Kazekage's demise, Mayuri bolted back inside the infirmary and started readying the medical instruments and bandages.
As Maki and Sari laid down Gaara on the futon, she looked down at the wounded Kazekage as she felt her heart racing rapidly.
"Please! Save him!" Maki blurted out as Kyoraku-sensei began to work on the Kazekage.
The future of the Sand Village lies in their hands now if they will be able to save the Kazekage.
"Kami-sama... Help us." she said to herself and began assisting Kyoraku-sensei as they tended to Gaara.
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Gaara's last memory was being attacked in his chambers by an unknown assassin. Somehow, his guard was down and the assassin was able to infiltrate his inner sanctum.
Still feeling the seething pain across his abdomen, he slowly opened his eyes and the ceiling came to his view.
"Kazekage-sama! Thank goodness!" a girl's voice came from beside him.
He looked at where the voice came from and saw an unfamiliar girl bending down to him. "W-where am I?" he asked weakly.
"Sand Village infirmary. You were brought here by Maki and Sari." the girl replied.
Gaara observed the girl further. He wondered why he hasn't seen the girl before in his life.
Blonde hair.
Blue eyes.
Fair complexion.
Yes, she would be perfect.
Gaara scolded himself inwardly. "Now is not the time to be thinking about 'that'! You've just been assassinated!" he thought.
"Your n-name... What is it?" he asked.
"Mayuri. Mayuri Takashi." she replied and smiled sweetly at him. "It's a pleasure to meet you Kazekage-sama."
"The pleasure is mine." he managed to reply and then he went back to unconsciousness.
Mayuri smiled as she began changing the Kazekage's bandages. Beneath the cold exterior is a warm person, was what she thought.
The whole future of the Sand village was probably too much to bear for the young Kazekage but he manages to get through that. It was something very admirable of him. She can't help but think highly of Gaara who was lying vulnerable before her.
"He's looking for a wife, you know." Kyoraku-sensei interrupted her trail of thoughts as he knelt down beside her.
She felt her face grow warm. "W-Why bring that up all of a sudden, sensei?"
Kyoraku-sensei laughed at the sight of her red face. "Nothing. Just thinking that you two may be a match for each other. It's high time that you find yourself a husband, too."
"The Kazekage is way out of my league, sensei." she replied and stared at Gaara.
Yes, there's no way the Kazekage would like her. Let alone, fall in love with her. It's just impossible.
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Days passed and Gaara was able to recover from his injury. He was back in his headquarters and currently back to working again. The paperworks on his desk piled up due to his recent indisposition.
As he was scanning a letter on his desk, a knock disrupted him from his work.
"Come in." he said.
Kankuro went inside and greeted him, "Yo! I got some announcement for you today!"
He raised his eyebrow in query. "What is it?"
Kankuro grinned sheepishly and said, "The elders summon you. Probably, they want to have the 'get a wife' and 'give us an heir' talk again."
At the mention of the word 'wife', a thought flashed inside his mind.
Blonde hair.
Blue eyes.
Fair complexion.
Mayuri Takashi.
"Eh? What's that look? You got someone in mind already?" Kankuro asked.
He shrugged and replied, "Maybe." He stood up and began to walk outside his office to meet the elders.
Behind him, Kankuro called out, "No fair! You're keeping secrets now from your brother!"
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Mayuri was cleaning bloodied medical instruments when she heard a knock on the door.
She opened it and to her surprise, two men who appears to be guards of the Sand Village were standing in front of her. "Mayuri Takashi?" one of them asked.
"Y-yes. That would be me." she replied.
"You have to come with us. You have been summoned."
"By who?"
"By the Kazekage."
She can't help but wonder. "Did he say why he wanted to see me?" she asked.
"No, he did not."
She let out a sigh. I guess it can't be helped, then. "I'll go get ready."
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"Kazekage-sama. We have brought Mayuri Takashi as you requested." one guard said behind the door of Gaara's office.
Mayuri, still fidgeting, was wondering why the Kazekage summoned her.
"Let her in." she heard Gaara say behind the door.
As if on cue, the guard opened the door and motioned for her to go inside and as she walked in, she heard the door closed behind her.
"You wanted to see me, Kazekage-sama?" she asked.
Gaara, who was standing by the window, turned back to look at her and replied, "Yes. I have a proposition for you."
She held her breath. Proposition?
"I'm not sure I'm catching up with what you're saying, Kazekage-sama." she said.
Suddenly cold eyes were staring back at her as she heard him say, "I want you to be my wife, Takashi-san."
Her eyes widened in disbelief. "Y-you must be joking."
"Do I look like the type who would joke around?"
Her world suddenly started spinning. The Kazekage wants her to be his wife. How true could this be?
"I need an heir, Takashi-san. And I can't do that without having a wife. As it happens, I chose you to play that part." he said.
Silence ensued between them. For Mayuri, the atmosphere was too much to handle. She can't find the voice to speak her thoughts on the matter.
It was him who broke the silence. "You need not answer now. I'm giving you a week to think things through."
"A week? But Kazekage--"
"It's an order."
She caught her sentences in midair. She was supposed to say that a week is not enough to decide on whether she'll marry him or not.
A week will never be enough to decide on the most important decision she will ever make in her life.
"I-I'll think about it Kazekage-sama."
She thought the meeting was over. But to her surprise, Gaara started walking towards her. Suddenly he was too close.
"Maybe this will help you think things through." he murmured.
"W-What are you--"
Suddenly cold lips met hers and she was frozen in place. Her world literally turned upside down as she felt him deepen the kiss.
As he pulled away from her, she felt that the kiss lasted for an eternity.
"One week, Takashi-san. I'll be waiting."
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Author's notes:
Hello minna-san! This is my first time writing a fanfic about Gaara-sama! Let me know what you guys think! Arrigattou for reading!