Hello everyone! I've decided to write a longer fic about Mayako and Gaara as a kind of follow up to the story One Night. This takes place several years later, when they're 26. I'll probably post one shots here and there about their relationship leading up to this time in their lives, but for now this is the ongoing story. As always, feel free to let me know what you think! Happy reading~
It was late afternoon in the Hidden Sand village, and rays of the hot desert sun were beating down through the windows of the Kazekage's office building. A young woman by the name of Mayako, walked through the halls, holding her small child's hand. Though the four year old's bright red hair was a stark contrast to her mother's raven locks, she shared Mayako's stormy grey eyes. As they neared a large set of doors, the girl broke away from her mother's grasp and ran towards them.
"Daddy!" she exclaimed excitedly. The woman quickly caught up with her and grabbed her around the waist, lifted her up, turned her around, and let her back down.
"No, no Kaho! Daddy is busy right now. We'll come back to see him later, okay?" At her words, Kaho's eyes became impossibly large and watery and her lower lip began to quiver. She faltered for a moment, but wouldn't allow herself to give in, no matter how sweet the face."I know he's been busy a lot lately sweetie, but I promise he'll make time for you," Mayako explained, crouching down to her level, and running a hand through the girl's hair. Hesitantly she nodded, and her mother gave her a warm smile. "That's a good girl. Now, what do you say we go see Uncle Kankuro?" Kaho nodded and, after Mayako returned to her feet, took her mother's hand once more. Mayako cast a glance at her husband's office doors before continuing on. He had always taken his duty as Kazekage very seriously, but for the past couple of weeks he'd hole himself up in his office before she would wake at dawn, and until long after she had gone to bed. She would be lying to herself if she said she wasn't worried, but there was no way she would let Kaho know that.
"Does Uncle Kankuro have new toys?" Kaho questioned, pulling Mayako from her thoughts. She was referring to the puppets Kankuro spent much of his time creating and repairing. They were his specialty. Often, when he would have the time, he would make small, much less dangerous puppets for both Kaho and Shikadai, his sister, Temari's six year old son, though Shikadai was beginning to grow too old to enjoy the dolls.
"I don't know, I guess we'll have to see."
"Okay!" Kaho exclaimed eagerly. She picked up her pace, pulling her mother along towards the room that had been designated as a workshop for Kankuro. When they finally reached it, Kaho used her tiny fist to knock on the door. After a moment, it opened and they were met by a grinning brunet. Mayako was glad to see that he wasn't sporting his face paint today, as that often intimidated Kaho.
"There's my favorite niece!" he greeted, ruffling her hair. She giggled, and hugged one of his legs. "Hey Kaho." She looked up at him expectantly.
"Yeah?" He pointed to the back corner of his workshop.
"Go take a look over there, I have something for you." Without a moment's hesitation, she ran passed him in the direction he had pointed. Both Kankuro and Mayako chuckled at her enthusiasm. "Hey sis," he said, finally bringing his attention to her. She smiled, but her concern was clear on her face. He stepped aside, and gestured into the room. "Come have a seat," he invited. She nodded and followed him inside. When she sat down, she checked to see that Kaho was playing with her present and was confident she wouldn't hear her.
"I don't know what to do Kankuro," she started, her voice thick with a sorrowful frustration. "We sleep in the same damn bed, but it's been days since I've seen him. Ever since I offered to go and investigate the problem myself, he's refused to talk to me about it." She buried her face in her hands. "I don't know what to do…" she repeated. Kankuro's brow furrowed with sympathy, and he rested a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"You know how Gaara is, he's just being protective. Whatever is going on is dangerous, he doesn't want you caught up in that," he explained. She nodded, looking up at him.
"I know that, but he knows I can handle myself. I'm sure he's spoken with you about it," she pointed out. Kankuro rubbed the back of his head, not meeting her distraught eyes.
"Well, yeah, but…" She raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to go on, but he didn't
"You're his brother," she finally said. "He should want to be protective of you as well."
"You're the mother of his child. He's thinking about Kaho as well. He doesn't want her growing up without you." Mayako bit her lip, averting her eyes. She realized that perhaps she was being selfish, but her stance on the matter wasn't about to change. "And sure, losing me would probably devastate him, but losing you… Mayako, if he lost you, I don't know how he would go on." At his words, her eyes began to prick with tears, but she blinked them back.
"Yet he doesn't consider how I would feel if something happened to him? How Kaho would feel if something happened to him?" she snapped back with a little more force than she had intended. "I know he can't be eating properly, and he certainly isn't getting any sleep," she added, more gently this time. Kankuro nodded, folding his arms across his chest.
"It does worry me to see him this way, but he cares deeply about this village. Something is hurting his people, and that's hurting him. You know things won't go back to normal until this is sorted out." Kankuro's dark eyes became clouded with a sympathetic sadness as he spoke.
"I just wish he would let me do something. I feel so helpless right now…" She let out a heavy sigh, her shoulders slumping. They sat in silence for a moment.
"I'll talk to him. I can't make any promises, but I'll see what I can do," he finally said. Mayako nodded, a small smile coming to her features.
"Thank you, Kankuro." He shrugged.
"It's the least I could do for my second sister." Mayako gave an appreciative nod, then got to her feet, ready to leave.
"Well, we'll let you get back to your work. Thank you for the doll. Come on...Kaho." When she looked up to call Kaho over, she found that she was no longer playing in the corner. She quickly scanned the room to see that her daughter was nowhere to be found, but the door was cracked open. "Damn it," she hissed. Kankuro jumped up, panic stricken, ready to run out in search of her, but Mayako stopped him. "It's alright, I know exactly where she went." He seemed unsure, but nodded, trusting her judgement. With that, she ran out of the room and down the hallway, all the while mentally kicking herself for being so negligent. When she reached the Kazekage's office and saw his door ajar, she was both relieved that she had been right, and worried that Kaho had disrupted him. Mayako slowly pushed his door open a little further and entered. It seemed Gaara had fallen asleep at his desk beside piles of reports and paperwork. As she quietly approached him, she saw that Kaho had curled up in his lap, her new doll clutched tightly against her small form, and quickly fell asleep as well. The sight filled her with warmth and allowed her concerns to melt away, if only for a a little bit. She watched them for a moment, torn between allowing him to sleep and waking him, even if only to lead him to their bed to sleep. She leaned over him, gently tracing the kanji for love that he had carved into his forehead when he was a child. "Gaara," she whispered. "Gaara." She brushed a strand of his silky red hair out of his face. At her soft touch, his eyes began to blink open. The dark circles around his eyelids, the only sign of him ever being a jinchuriki that remained, were exaggerated by his exhaustion. He looked up at her, his usually clear blue-green orbs now fogged by sleep.
"Mayako?" he questioned, his low voice somewhat raspy. He sat up slowly, then looked down at his lap as he noticed the extra weight he felt. He smiled, stroking Kaho's hair tenderly. "What are you two doing here?"
"She misses her father," Mayako stated simply. His smile faded at her words. Carefully, he took her in his arms and got to his feet. "Why don't you call it a day for now, and we can come back to this in the morning," she offered. He shook his head.
"You know that's out of the question. I have to figure this out as soon as possible. I have a duty to this village," he argued.
"You're not doing anybody any good if you can't even stay awake, love. You were sleeping anyways, you can get a better rest in your own bed. Please, just-"
"Our people are dying, Mayako. Something, or someone is killing them, and I need to find out what." He spoke sternly in a harsh tone. "I can't help them if I don't do at least that much, so I can't rest until I have some answers."
"Then let me help you, Gaara!" she pleaded.
"We've discussed this, Mayako. You aren't getting anywhere near any of this, it isn't safe." Mayako scowled and looked away from him.
"You seem to be forgetting who it was that fought alongside you in the war all those years ago…" she muttered.
"And you seem to be forgetting that I nearly lost you in that war." She had nothing to say to this. Gaara shifted Kaho so he could hold her comfortably with one arm. He then used his free hand to gently grab Mayako's face and make her look at him. Her defiant grey eyes locked with his cool gaze.
"You know that I know how capable you are as a shinobi, that isn't the problem. We have to think about Kaho as well. She needs you."
"She needs you too," she bit back.
"I need you."
"And I need you." This silenced him. He then let out a long sigh, no longer wishing to argue the matter.
"Very well," he gave in. "I'll go home for the day, but I don't want to hear anymore about it after tonight." She nodded, not sure whether she should feel victorious or defeated. He let go of her face and pulled her to him in a warm hug, kissing the top of her head. "I love you, Mayako, don't forget that." She wrapped her arms around him in return.
"I love you, Gaara." As they went to pull away from one another, Kaho began to stir.
"Well hello there sleepy head," he greeted her. She looked at Gaara for a moment before breaking into a grin.
"Daddy!" She threw her arms around his neck, accidentally dropping her doll. Mayako bent down to pick it up and waited for their hug to end before offering it back to Kaho. She quickly took the doll, then looked at Mayako. "Mommy, I'm hungry." Both Mayako and Gaara let out an amused laugh.
"Why don't we go and make dinner as a family?" she suggested, casting a glance at Gaara.
"I think that sounds like a wonderful idea," he agreed, giving her a slight nod. Kaho nodded, rubbing her tired eyes. Mayako smiled, taking Gaara's free hand, and together they left the office.
Mayako stood in the kitchen, finishing up the dishes that were left from dinner. Over the sink running she could hear Kaho laughing and screaming with delight. She shut the water off and put the dish down before walking over and leaning against the kitchen doorway to see what was happening in her living room. Gaara had used his sand to form small, much less frightening replica of the one-tailed beast, Shukaku, which was now chasing their daughter around the room. After a moment, he squatted down and the mock tanuki beast chased her straight into his outstretched arms.
"I've got you!" he declared, scooping her up.
"You saved me, Daddy!" she said excitedly as he carried her over to the couch and sat down.
"Silly Kaho, I'm much more dangerous than he is," Gaara said with a serious face. Kaho's eyes widened, and before she could scurry from his lap, he was upon her, tickling her mercilessly. She squealed with endless laughter, bringing him to grin and let out a laugh as well. Mayako couldn't help but smile. He stopped to give Kaho a chance to catch her breath, then looked up to see that Mayako had been watching. He gave a cheerful smile as Kaho stood up, balancing on his legs. She contemplated for a moment before tackling him, wrapping her arms around his neck as she landed on him. Mayako heard the soft grunt from him as the air left his lungs from the sudden weight, and gave an amused chuckle.
"Alright, alright," she finally stated as she walked over to them. She lifted Kaho off of Gaara, turning her so she could see her face. "I think it's time for someone to go to bed." Kaho immediately began to pout.
"I wanna play more! Please, Mommy?" Mayako shook her head no.
"We can play more tomorrow, okay?" Tears welled in her grey eyes.
"But Daddy won't…" she argued. Mayako opened her mouth to respond, but was at a loss for words. She looked to Gaara for help. His expression betrayed his sadness, but he got to his feet and stood beside them.
"Kaho, I know I haven't been around a lot, but there important things I need to do. I promise that I will play with you as much as you want as soon as I can," he explained gently to her. "For now, listen to your mother and get a good night's sleep." She didn't seem overly satisfied by his response, but she nodded.
"Okay…" she gave in. He kissed her forehead.
"I love you," he told her sweetly.
"I love you, Daddy…" she mumbled, burying her face in Mayako's shoulder to hide her tears. Mayako and Gaara shared an endeared look.
"I'm going to get in the shower quickly," he stated quietly. Mayako gave a nod before carrying Kaho to her room. She laid her down in her bed and sat beside her, stroking her auburn locks. Kaho yawned and looked up at Mayako.
"Can you read me a story tonight, Mommy?" she asked.
"Sorry sweetie, not tonight. I let you stay up late to spend time with your Dad." Kaho nodded, still looking forlorn.
"Will he be home again tomorrow?" Mayako sighed
"I don't know, but I hope so," she said, leaning over and placing a kiss on her forehead, then one on each of her eyelids. This brought a smile to Kaho's face. "I love you, sweet dreams."
"I love you Mommy!" Mayako smiled to herself before getting up to leave the room, closing the door behind her. She went into the kitchen to finish cleaning up the dish she had put down earlier. She then made her way to the room she and Gaara shared. She entered the adjoining bathroom where the shower was running. Mayako went to the sink, pulling her hair out of its usual messy low bun, and started to brush her teeth for the night. As she was finishing up, the water shut off and Gaara stepped out of the shower, throwing a towel around his waist. He came up behind her, hugging her tightly right under her bosom, nuzzling his face into the crook of her neck, his wet hair brushing against her face. He looked at her in the mirror, his pale eyes loving.
"I'm glad you came home tonight," she started softly. He kissed her shoulder then lifted his head.
"I am too." She turned in his arms to wrap her own arms loosely around his neck. She examined him for a moment, and he raised a brow. "Is there something wrong?" Mayako chewed her lip.
"I'm just making sure everything is as I remember. I mean, it has been a while." Her tone was slightly bitter, but not without its usual warmth. Gaara let out a sigh.
"Kaho not getting it is one thing, but I know you understand Mayako. You knew what you were getting into when you-" Without any warning, she took his face and silenced him with a passionate kiss, filled with her longing.
"I know," she said when she finally pulled away from her, now, dumbfounded husband. "I just miss you." Her lips curled with a provocative smile. Slowly, his surprise wore off and was quickly replaced by an aroused anticipation. He lifted her up bridal style, bringing his lips to meet hers again as he carried her to their bed. He laid her down before positioning himself over her.
"I miss you, Mayako" he said by her ear, his low, rich voice sending eager shivers through her body. He nibbled on her ear, then worked his way down to her neck and shoulders.
"I thought I brought you home to sleep?" she teased between gasps.
"Yes, well, maybe you shouldn't get me so side tracked," he growled. She let out a small giggle, thrilled to be his distraction that night.