AU: First of all, I apologize for any OOC-ness, be it in the canon characters or the anime itself, in this one, I haven't been watching Naruto of the late, and had just gotten into it again.

Second of all, I also apologize if you found my OC mary-sue, I find it hard to expose my OCs flaws in just one chapter (But don't worry, she doesn't have some horribly angst past where all her parents got murdered by the Uchiha clan or something close to the like)

Thirdly, I had no time to find a beta reader for this chapter. So I apologize for whatever grammatical errors you might find within.

Lastly, I cannot decide if I should do a long story or a oneshot... sooo...

Oneshot? Continuation?

You decide.

Apples

Kishi sat on the top of the highest roof in Sunagakure , watching the sand trace patterns in the wind that blew the light sediment grains along. The night sky was clear, and a deep soothing azure. She loved how the way the sand changes color at night, how the pale moon casts a pale silvery light onto the sandy dunes, dyeing the brownish yellow desert a light pale blue. Propping up her leg unto the ledge where she was sitting on and then leaning to the side, she shifted so that her cheek was supported by the fist of her right hand which was resting on the propped up leg. She then raised one hand and tried to follow the irregular sand patterns in the wind, drawing random, invisible circles and swirls with her index finger. This was an activity that was part of her daily life. She loved the desert of the night, and often came up to the highest point in town to admire it.

The fact that their town was in a small valley of the whole desert really dampened the sight though. Only being able to see the town, and not the full beauty of the natural desert. Of course, the town itself was made out of sand, and was perfectly natural, but what she really wanted to see was the original desert, before any town had ever started in this area. That wasn't very possible though. Because of some incident that had happened recently, the town's people, including Ninjas, have been forbidden to leave the city grounds. Kishi was quite upset about this, but because she didn't want to pick a fight, obeyed.

She sighed softly to herself.

Gaara was sitting alone in his office, tending to the paperwork. It really pissed him off, the amount that just kept rolling in, one pile right after another, and almost left him no time to rest, even after a long trip from Sunakagure to Konoha and back. The Kazekage neatly filed away a bunch of paperwork that had just came in this morning, before turning to the two piles that had just came in this evening. He glanced out of the window. She was there again.

The young male knew her by the name of Kishi. Fifteen years old. Eye color was that of a deep emerald, and long black, forest green streaked hair reached for her waist. Lean build, and not very good at hand to hand combat. Black ribbons were her choice of weaponry, and she is always seen in a light black Kimono that instead of dropping to her feet, stopped at the area just above her knee. She was a young Jounin that although seemed sociable, was not so. She was offered a place in the ANBU, which she rejected and continued the life of a Jounin. Gaara had interacted with her on a regular basis, because she served directly under him.

However, even after the whole duration she had spent serving under him, he still didn't know anything about her, besides that she was a very obedient subordinate, she loved to sit on that particular spot every night to daydream, she always had this air of mystery around her, wasn't good at paperwork, and that she liked apples. He glanced towards his side desk where an apple stood, shiny and red. He had picked it up from an apple tree earlier today when he was traveling back from Konoha. The Kazekage glanced out to where his subordinate sat, leaning unto one cheek and gazing out into the skies with a distant look on her face, before looking back at the apple, then at the pile of paperwork on his desk.

He stood up and reached for the apple, a break from the paperwork would do him good anyway, and since he was going out for some fresh air, Gaara didn't see any harm in visiting the young girl and giving her the apple, that he wasn't even going to eat. It would be such a waste, to leave the shiny red apple to rot, when he knew someone else that will appreciate it much more then he would...

Kishi brushed her long hair out of her face and sighed, letting out the breath that she had been holding in for the fun of it. The young girl's thoughts mildly wondered to the her "boss", or rather, the Kagekaze. He was a young male, one year older then her. He had icy sea foam green eyes that were lined thickly in black and spiky brick red hair. What struck her the most was the symbol of love that was etched onto the left side of his forehead. Had he gotten his heart broken before...? Was the first thought that entered her mind. However, after finding out about his past, the girl could only try and understand the pain he want through. Besides knowing that he always had this stern expression on his face, that he seemed to love the posture of standing straight with arms crossed over his chest, and that he always had this monotone voice to match his stern expression, Kishi knew nothing about him, as he knew nothing about her.

The Jounin was about to dismiss the wandering thoughts of the older male when suddenly she pricked at something whistling towards her. By the sound of it, it was round, harmless and thrown at a speed that she was able to catch. Kishi moved her head out of the way, catching the object in her right hand easily. She blinked, her eyes slightly wide, at the round object which she recognized as her favorite fruit, an apple. The Jounin glanced behind to see the very person she was thinking of before. The Kazekage.

She got up to her feet and bowed, mildly curious about what the Kazekage wanted with her, this late at night. Normally from here, she would be able to see him working late into the night in his office, and even after she left the roof, the light would still be on. Of course, she never did understand how he could even be able to work properly in the morning even after the severe lack of sleep.

"Kazekage sama." Kishi politely greeted the other, before straightening and admiring the rosy redness of the apple. Where did the other get such a beauty? Surely not in the market, the apples there were so incredibly dry and withered because of the desert's hot weather. She gave it a small whiff, and then realized where it came from. That made sense, since the Kazekage had just returned from Konoha.

"Kishi san." Gaara returned the greeting as he walked over to her and glanced up at the sky.

Kishi watched the other wordlessly as she also glanced up at the sky. "This apple..."

"Something to eat in case I was hungry, but I wasn't, and I know you are fond of apples." The other replied in his same old stern voice. But he did seem slightly more relaxed, must be the relief from all the paperwork. Kishi thought to herself.

"...Thank you." The black, forest green streaked haired girl said as she brought the apple up to her mouth and tentatively took a dainty bite from it. Kishi brightened at the quality of the fruit. It has been so long since she had tasted something as good as this. With another soft sigh, she sank her teeth into the soft flesh of the apple, letting the sweet essence of the fruit seep into her mouth. Then realizing the awkward silence that was taking place between her and the Kagekaze, she gave a casual comment, "Its really good."

Gaara turned his gaze onto his subordinate. Somehow, the reason for her liking apples was incomprehensible to him. He just couldn't understand how Kishi san loved the fruit so much that she could even tell the quality of the fruit just from sight alone. After months of pondering, he had finally gotten a proper opportunity to ask her. "Why do you like apples?"

Kishi, who was about to take another bite out of the red fruit, paused as she heard the other's question. She closed her mouth and brought the apple down from her lips to look at the Kagekaze with a somewhat amused expression at the other's question. She echoed his question while raising one eyebrow at the other, "Why do I like apples?"

Gaara gave a nod and waited for the answer.

"I like apples because they are sweet. Their flesh is the softest amongst all the other fruits, in my opinion, and I love the color of their skin, a beautiful rosy red." She replied, tracing her finger over the apple's smooth surface as she spoke, and over the bite mark that she had left. "Apples also have a meaning that is of a great depth, besides just the fruit itself. I enjoy thinking of that hidden meaning within the fruit while I eat it." The young girl held the apple up to her eye as she observed it closely. "However, if not eaten quickly, the flesh will blacken and eventually rot." Kishi dug her nail into the part of the fruit that had blackened considerably, and scooped the dying flesh out, flinging it out into the air where a bird of the night caught and ate it. She let her gaze wander for a little before she turned back to Gaara and smiled.

The Kazekage listened to Kishi, trying to fit in whatever she had just said. After a moment, he got it.

"I like apples too." He then replied to the young girl who was nibbling on the fruit that was delicately held in both of her hands, her long viridian streaked hair dancing in the gentle breeze. The Kagekaze turned away from Kishi as he began to walk away.

Sweet and tender. He recalled a memory from a month ago. Gaara was making a trip back to Sunagakure from Konoha, and was taking a rest in the forest, when the Kagekaze had noticed laughter coming from nearby and had gone to inspect out of curiosity. He saw Kishi with the team she had been assigned with, weaving fresh blossoms together to make flower circlets for the three girls. At first he had been prompted to come out from hiding and to chide the team for playing on their mission, but, after realizing that they had already finished their mission as Konoha had reported, he relaxed and noticed how much fun the team was having. Especially Kishi, who was smiling and laughing along with the young adolescents naturally, quite a rare thing to be seen from her usual obedient expression.

Rosy red. Gaara remembered the time where Kishi had accidentally caught one of the loving Jounin couples doing their "thing" in the washroom. She had entered his office, with a bright, but deep red hue on her cheeks. The Kagekaze had looked at her with the same stern expression, but inside he was wondering what had happened to the other. She then had lifted her long kimono sleeve to cover the bottom half of her face, eyelids half closed as she looked down towards the floor. The red tint was still visible however, the same color as an apple.

A meaning of great depth... and a puzzle that was enjoyable to think of. After the whole time she had spent serving under him, she was still but a mystery to him. He knew almost next to nothing about her, but what he did know, was that she was someone that harbored millions of little secrets within her, never revealing anything. The false smile on her face, and the unreal tone of her laughter, always hiding things away from whoever that might try to pry. A deep meaning behind that mask indeed. The Kazekage, after thinking about it, also admitted to himself that he did enjoy trying to figure out the younger female after she had left the room.

The short period of time before it rots... Gaara stopped walking. Kishi watched the Kagekaze, who then gave a soft murmur as he looked at the girl from over his shoulder. "Somehow, I'll stop that apple from rotting."

Kishi blinked at his reply. She looked on until the other was out of sight, before glancing back down at the apple and biting into it again.

Sweet and soft? Gaara, no, the Kazekage sama would never admit to being like that, but he was very protective over those that he cared for. Seeing him hold up the sand barrier over the village a little while ago, even when he was so exhausted and tired causing him excruciating pain, was enough proof for Kishi, that he was not completely uncaring for everyone. The younger female had also noticed the close friendship that had formed between the fox boy from Konoha and him. Sweet and soft? Maybe, on the very deep inside.

A rosy red... the first thing that came to Kishi's mind was the Kazekage sama's personality and looks. He was indeed a very handsome boy. Or maybe... beautiful was more like the word, in Kishi's opinion. He wasn't like a rose red, but more like the rose itself. Like a rose, he represented love, in the most thorny way possible. Seeing the word carved unto his forehead, it was like a thorn on a rose. A very painful thorn that repelled anyone that tried to touch it, making the person bleed, like the rose would, if the other wasn't delicate enough with it. A thorn that even hurt its own host. He wasn't a rose in color, but a rose in personality, as much as in looks. Something that needed to be handled with care.

A deep meaning with an enjoyable riddle. She knew nothing about him. Maybe a little of his past due to the events that had taken place recently, but besides that, it was just a total blank. He was as much as a mystery towards her as she was to him. Even if she did know his past, the way he had "love" torn apart for him, the way he felt when cast out of society and labeled as a freak, the way it felt, it was still a puzzle towards the younger female. She did spend time trying to understand though, and trying to make sense of the older male.

"I will keep that apple from rotting, no matter what." She whispered to the wind, watching as the lights in the Kagekaze's office flickered on again.

Just as she watched the other settle down, Gaara had glanced out of the window. They both realized how distant the other was, and it was not just in physical terms. It was so ironic, seeing that they met each other almost every other day. At the same time that Gaara had turned back to resume his duties, Kishi had also turned back to watch the sky and sand, and it seemed as though, to any other person, as they were both alone again. However, they both knew better. They weren't alone, at least, not yet. Until one has left for the night, both felt each other's presence, even from a distance away.

How far would I go to keep that apple from rotting?