I watched as the two ninja before me fought between themselves. Of course, there was an obvious difference in the ability of the two ninja. The one with the gourd on his back had not moved one way or the other since the beginning of the fight. The rogue ninja, however, sported various cuts and bruises, all thanks to the gourd shinobi's sand. I watched in fascination as the sand crept up the rogue ninja's ankles, anchoring him to the ground.
"Grand Fireball Technique!" the rogue shinobi cried out. As he formed the horse and tiger seals, he held his fingers to his mouth and literally spewed a fireball towards the gourd shinobi. The gourd shinobi sent his sand to protect him. However, the sand around the rogue shinobi continued to creep up until it completely covered him.
"Desert Coffin," the gourd shinobi said, clenching his fist in the air. To my surprise, the sand contracted, making the body inside explode from the sheer pressure. Blood sprayed all around the battlefield, sprinkling on the gourd shinobi and his ninja ally.
"Was that the last one?" the shinobi with the fan in her hand asked.
"Yes," came the monotone voice of the gourd shinobi.
"What about her?" a voice asked beside of me. I jumped in fright. I didn't even hear him approach!
"She is unimportant," the gourd ninja said.
"I sense no chakra, Kankuro. Leave her alone." Instead of listening to the other ninja, Kankuro squatted beside of my tense form.
"What's your name?"
"I…don't remember. My friends…call me Ai."
"Why don't you remember your name, Ai?" I looked away.
"Because I lived in the forest for ten years before I met another human. I was left out here to die." This perked the fan ninja's interest.
"And why would someone leave you out here to die?"
"My parents were ANBU for Suna." She remained silent, letting me continue. "And I was used as bait to draw them outside of the village's defenses. I was only three at the time and couldn't defend myself. My parents died trying to protect me." With my answer done, I kept my gaze on the ground, awaiting their decision.
"Is your name Misa, by any chance?" The name seemed familiar.
"Mi…sa?" The name rolled off of my tongue and I felt a slight spark. "I think I am."
"Was your dad's name Aioshi?" I nodded slowly and the blond ninja laughed. "What a stroke of luck! Our country has been looking for you. Under the Kazekage's orders, you are to return to Suna and train to become a ninja." My eyes opened in surprise.
"I thought you said I had no chakra."
"You're untrained," Kankuro explained. "You will in time. I'll even teach you," he said, pointing his thumb to his chest.
"Thank you, Kankuro." He positively beamed at me.
"We leave now," the gourd shinobi stated, breaking our jubilant atmosphere. The other two ninja slightly tensed. Kankuro stood up and held a hand for me to take. He helped me up and "accidentally" pulled me too hard, causing me to fall into his heavily muscled chest. I blushed and backed away quickly.
"Kankuro," the fan shinobi admonished. He smirked, totally unrepentant.
"Come on, Misa."
"If you would…could you call me Ai?"
"And why is that?" she asked me.
"Because you're my friend," I pointed out. "And my friends call me Ai." She seemed taken aback but nodded once.
"Ai it is. I'm Temari and he is Gaara." I smiled at Gaara.
"Nice to meet you, Gaara-kun," I said, bowing to him. I turned back to Temari. "And well as you, Temari."
"What about me?" Kankuro asked, interrupting my bow.
"And you as well, Kankuro-kun." He smirked at me, an obvious trait of his I picked up on instantly.
"We must return to Suna immediately," Temari said. "The Kazekage will be expecting us." Kankuro nodded and Temari threw her fan to the ground. Gaara and Kankuro kneeled on it. At Temari's impatient gesture, I joined them on the fan. As her fan rose, I grabbed onto the nearest arm, which turned out to be Gaara's. The fan flew off at a fast pace and I barely swallowed a shriek of surprise. I relaxed as the fan continued its flight but spotted Gaara's glare. I quickly let go of him.
"Gomen, gomen," I said, trying to deflect his anger. His facial features finally smoothed into the usual stoic expression he always wore and I sighed. The worse was over. "How can this fly?" I asked Temari.
"I use my chakra to control the wind."
"How?"
"I infuse my chakra into the wind itself," she said gesturing around us. "I can even create tornadoes if I wanted." My eyes widened.
"You must be very powerful!" She gave me an odd look and instantly felt ashamed. Her eyes softened, contrite at her accidental insult.
"I'm not as powerful as others in Suna. As of now, I'm only a Chunnin."
"A Chunnin?"
"Yes. A Gennin is a basic level ninja. A step above is Chunnin and above Chunnin is Jounin, one of the highest ranked ninja. After Jounin is ANBU." I nodded once, remembering the information.
"How far away is Suna?" I asked.
"A few hours. See? There is the desert now. We'll reach Suna by nightfall."
*********************
"And you simply found her in the forest?" the kazekage asked, clearly skeptical.
"Hai," Temari stated.
"Then, Misa," he seemed to sneer, "How do we know that you are truly her?"
"There is no way, Kazekage-san. I don't remember much of my parents or Suna, for that matter. If I cannot be verified, please allow me to return to the forest." He was quiet for a few moments, staring at me, sifting through his thoughts.
"I believe you are Misa. You have the look of Aioshi about you. However, you will get your blood tested against your parent's blood." I nodded. It seemed fair. "Gaara, escort her to the hospital. Do not allow anyone to talk to her until she is verified." Gaara didn't speak or even look in my direction. He simply turned and walked out of the door. I looked at everyone else, but no one said a word. I followed Gaara out of the door and into the streets. That's when I noticed something peculiar. Every person who looked at Gaara became tense. Mothers held onto their children while hesitantly smiling. Even the people would clear out of his way. However, some of the bolder people would bow. Was this fear or respect? If so, then why did they fear him?
"Hey Gaara-kun?" I asked. He turned his head slightly to look at me and I stopped, at a loss for words. "Is that gourd heavy?" I inwardly slapped myself. Could I be any more of an idiot? I just wanted this god forsaken silence to end.
"No."
"Why do you carry it around? Isn't there sand everywhere? Why can't you just use that?" Again, he gave me a look, which was odd, considering he kept his stoic expression. He had a skill in that department.
"I carry special sand."
"Why is it special?" A momentary glare surprised me and he turned away, effectively ending the conversation. I saw the hospital in the distance and sighed in relief and frustration. I wanted to get to know this boy and the hospital was going to end this walk.
"Hey Gaara-kun, are you a Chunnin too?"
"Hai." His slow answers annoyed me, but I was too curious to try to change that.
"How do you become a Chunnin?"
"You take the Chunnin exams."
"Are they hard?"
"No." Again we lapsed into silence and I fumbled around my brain for another question.
"Can you help me train?" This caught him off guard and he stopped and stared at me.
"Why would you want to help you train?"
"I saw you fight the ninja earlier. You are strong. If I want to be a good ninja like my parents, I want to become strong. To be the best, I have to learn from the best." He still remained quiet. "Please?" He paused.
"Hai, but only if you will not be a bother." I shook my head frantically. Finally! I had my chance to get to know him! He turned away and began walking to the hospital.
"I won't, Gaara." He looked at me once but said nothing about his new title.
*************************
I walked out of the hospital, officially Misa to the village. My blood was a definite match and word of my discovery raced like wildfire throughout Suna. Gaara was waiting for me outside and nodded as I came out.
"Do I need to see the Kazekage now?" I asked him.
"No. I am the Kazekage."
"Oh, all – wait, what?" I replayed his sentence in my mind. "I thought…but how?"
"He was a clone I created."
"To test me?" Gaara nodded. "Oh." I put my finger to my lip and followed Gaara as he turned to walk away. A cry brought me back to reality. A curious kid had touched the tip of a vendor's knife, piercing his skin. The mother was frantically trying to hush him and to save embarrassment, I stepped in.
"Don't worry," I said, kneeling by the crying kid. Gaara wanted no part in this encounter but stayed close to me.
"But I'm bleeding!" the kid wailed. To everyone's surprise, I popped the bleeding finger into my mouth and sucked the little blood welt off. I then took out the finger and kissed the tip.
"See? All better." The little kid looked in wonder and beamed at me.
"Thank you!" he said, latching onto my leg. The mother blushed and tried to get him to let go, but I waved her away. It had been so long since I had been with people that I was relishing this encounter. Kids were precious to me; they always had been. "What's your name?"
"My name is Ai."
"Ai? That's a strange name," the kid said. I softly thumped his nose.
"That's because it's a nickname. I thought we were friends and told you the name I like. We are friends, aren't we?" The kid nodded frantically. "Then call me Ai."
"Okay!" The mother, finally tired of the whole ordeal, grabbed the kid's hand and pried him off of me. "Will I see you again?"
"Of course you will." I stood and watched as the kid and his mother went away. As I looked around, I noticed a small crowd had formed. I laughed nervously. Now, I was ready to mingle with people again, but there were too many for me to be comfortable.
"Come with me," Gaara said. The crowd, hearing his voice, snapped out of their stupor and walked away, letting me relax and let out the breath I'd been holding. I dutifully followed him through the crowd until he reached a house. "You'll be staying with us," he simply stated before walking inside. I spotted Kankuro immediately and my eyebrows rose in surprise. He looked different without his face paint. He looked sort of…cute, in a way.
"So you passed the test?" Kankuro asked, walking over to me and throwing an arm around my shoulders. "That's good, Ai. If I have to guess, you'll be staying with us. I have room in my bed." To my amusement, Temari bashed his head with her fan and he retracted his arm immediately.
"Leave her alone, Kankuro. She won't be sleeping with you."
"No," I said, trying to keep my expression innocent. "I don't swing that way. I only sleep with girls." With that last statement, Temari led me upstairs and I broke out into a wide grin at Kankuro's sputtering of incoherent words.
************************
In the end, I was given the room next to Gaara's. I hadn't seen much of him since he led me to his home earlier today, and I genuinely missed him. He was something to figure out, a mystery to be solved. Plus my instincts told me that he needed a friend, even if he wouldn't admit it to himself. I opened the door to my balcony and stepped outside, relaxing in the slightly cold breeze. I looked around and spotted a low outcropping of the roof.
I shut the balcony doors and climbed onto the roof. I made my way to the end, nearest to the moon, and plopped down on the edge. I took another breath of the desert air and snorted a bit. The air was so dry around here and I wasn't used to it. However, even in the desert, the night was beautiful to me.
"What are you doing?" I jumped, nearly falling off of the edge.
"N-nothing, Gaara! I was just looking at the moon." Gaara looked up at the object of my attention then swapped his gaze back to me.
"Why?"
"Because it's beautiful." He gave me 'the Gaara look'.
"Why? It's just a moon."
"And there's only one of it. It is the only one of its kind, you see." I laughed softly. "My friend used to tell me that the sun and moon ruled over the earth. The sun would shine across the heavens, bringing light to the world, dominating everything with its presence. The people looked up to the sun and worshiped it. However, when the moon rose, the people would sleep, and ignore the moon. The moon felt alone. One day, the moon looked around him, and saw that he was in fact, not alone. The stars around him shone with him, unlike the sun." I laughed again. "It all sounds so stupid coming from me."
"How is that relevant?"
"Because I felt alone too. Akina, my old friend, found me alone, crying in the forest. She raised me until I could live on my own, then left. After that, I lived alone in the forest for years, fighting just to stay alive. When she told me that story, I realized that it was only me who said I was lonely. There were other friends of mine who helped me during those times. I then realized the moral of her story: I am never alone. There is always someone there beside of me. Hence, why I love the moon." Gaara looked up at the moon again, his eyes flickering with a short burst of emotion. I remained quiet, hoping I would hear anything from his closely guarded past.
"You have not heard of my name? I am Gaara of the Desert." I thought and shook my head. "I am a monster," he stated, looking dead into my eyes.
"How?" I asked. "You look human to me. You even act human."
"I have a monster inside of me." I cocked my head to the side.
"How?"
"It was sealed inside of me when I was born. It took the life of my mother to create me, a weapon for Suna. That is why I use sand to attack. My mother's blood made it possible."
"And that's why you use your sand?"
"I don't control some of it. The sand blocks any attack to me." I smiled and looked up at the moon.
"What a great mother. She even protects her son in death." I could tell this struck a chord in Gaara and I looked back at him. "Is that why everyone is tense around you?" I took his silence as a yes. "That's stupid. I've seen monsters, but you're no monster."
"Then what monsters have you seen?"
"The ones who killed my parents were monsters," I said, my eyes darkening in anger. "The ones who rape and kill women, beat their children, are monsters. The ones who verbally abuse their family are monsters."
"I have killed."
"And hasn't every ninja?"
"I craved blood." There it was; the heart of the issue. "I had to kill to satisfy my demon. It's harder on the full moon." He looked back up to the full moon and became silent once again.
"Why do you say craved?"
"I can control it thanks to my…friend." I smiled in encouragement.
"Oh? And who is this friend?"
"His name is Naruto."
"From Konoha?" I asked.
"You know of him?" I nodded.
"My friend, the one who named me, is from Konoha. I've heard of him before. Isn't his dream to become the Hokage?" Gaara nodded and I giggled slightly. "I was hoping he would achieve his dream. I told my friend to tell him that."
"Did she?" I shook my head.
"She…didn't make it. She was killed by the Akatsuki." This got Gaara's attention. "She told me to hide between the boulders in the river. I had to watch as she was killed."
"Did you see the members who killed her?" I nodded.
"They wore black cloaks with red clouds and wore straw hats to cover their faces. One was a shark-man and the other had the Sharingan."
"Their names are Hoshigake Kisame and Uchiha Itachi." I looked back towards the moon and sighed to release the rising tension from my body.
"Is that so?" I said no more and Gaara dropped the subject. We were silent for a few moments and for the first time, I felt at ease, as if I was protected. It was an odd and heady feeling but a welcome one all the same. "Why are you up so late?" I asked.
"I can't sleep." Before I could say anything, he continued. "If I sleep, my demon takes over my body."
"So you've never slept?" I asked, horrified. He stared at me, gauging my reaction. "How do you stand it?" He didn't answer and crossed his arms over his chest, preparing for my 'rejection.' "Come here, Gaara." Instead of arguing, he actually listened and sat beside of me. I wrapped my arms around his waist and tucked my head into his shoulder, a single tear leaking out from my eye. How could the Kazekage have doomed this child to such a hellish existence?
I felt Gaara tense up at the initial contact, but I kept my hold. He then relaxed slightly, letting me give him the only comfort I could. He didn't move an inch but I was amazed he was allowing my action. He seemed to not enjoy human contact. As my tear fell, it landed on his arm. It was this that finally galvanized him into action. He lifted my chin with his sand.
"Why are you crying?"
"Because I can't take the pain away."
"There is no pain," he retaliated.
"It's not physical. It's here," I said, removing one arm and pointing toward my heart. "I feel your pain as if it was my own. It's a woman thing, I guess." I withdrew my other arm but laid my head on his shoulder, closing my eyes. I was tired and the day had worn me out. A few minutes later and I could feel myself falling asleep.
"You are an odd woman," Gaara said so softly that I thought I had imagined it. "And my…friend."
********************
I woke the next morning only to find no one in the house. As I looked out of the window, I realized it was dusk. I'd unknowingly slept the day away. I walked back to my room and opened the balcony doors once again. I closed them and climbed onto the roof to watch the sunset. As I looked up, my eyes widened at the scene in front of me. Gaara was fighting an Akatsuki member! This one I hadn't seen before. He was a blond who fought with what seemed to be clay.
As he sent clay birds out towards Gaara, Gaara's shield formed around him. Half of the clay birds exploded outside and my mouth dropped in horror. The rest of the clay figurines changed into spiders and crawled inside of Gaara's absolute defense! If his solid ball of sand could be penetrated so easily, how was he to win? As the smoke cleared, I saw Gaara. He was panting slightly but escaped injury for the most part. Gaara's gaze, surprisingly enough, landed on me. The blond, having enough with this whole ordeal, summoned a huge clay beast above Suna. My hand went to my mouth as the blood drained from my face.
Gaara's gaze narrowed on the new attack but the blond dropped the explosive clay. I shut my eyes, afraid it was all over, but gasped as the world around me turned dark. I opened my eyes only to see an ocean of sand hovering over Suna, protecting us from the horrible explosion. However, the danger wasn't past. Foot by foot the sea of sand slowly moved away from Suna.
"How honorable," the blond said. "A Kazekage protecting his village to the very end." I choked and tears began to spill down my face. The village had treated him wrongly since he was born and here he was protecting them with his dying breath. The sand finally dropped away from the village and Gaara, his chakra drained, fell from the sky. As he fell, his gaze locked onto my trembling form. He smiled slightly. I ran forward, my arm outstretched even as I cried out my denial. A pair of hands caught me as I ran off of the roof. I looked back only to see Kankuro. He pulled me back onto the roof and I turned to see the blond holding the unconscious Gaara in his arms. He pulled him onto his clay bird and flew away from the city. I didn't try to hold back the tears as I hung my head. Kankuro spun me around and held the top of my arms tightly. His serious expression was totally unlike the Kankuro I knew.
"I'll get him back, Ai. I swear it." I launched myself at Kankuro, hugging him and sobbing into his chest. He simply held me, letting me vent my volatile emotions. After a few minutes, he pulled me away. "I've ordered an ANBU to guard you while I'm away. Stay and inside for me." He then leapt away and I made my way off of the roof and back into the house. I sat on my bed and curled up against the corner, tears still streaking down my face.
I felt as if a small part of me had been torn out. I felt empty once again, like I was alone in the world. In the one day I had been with him, he turned my world upside down. His pain and suffering had brought him strength and I admired that. He had the courage to face the unforgiving village every day of his life. Now he'd given his life for the very people who hated him. I hung my head and hugged my knees to my chest. When he had told his story, I'd felt something stir within me, something I'd never felt before. I jerked my head up and stared alarmingly at the wall.
"My god," I whispered. "I love him."
***********************
"He's alive," the ANBU stated, easily keeping pace with me. I saw the hospital as I came around the corner and ran toward it.
"I still want to see him. I can help." I ran inside of the hospital only to see the head nurse in front me.
"How can I help you?"
"I'm here to see Kankuro."
"I'm sorry," she said, her smile sickly sweet. "He's not allowed to have visitors yet. He's still in surgery."
"Bullshit," I muttered. "You don't have surgery for a poisoning." She opened her mouth and closed it again. "To hell with this," I growled out, moving past her to enter the hospital corridors. The ANBU man followed me without trying to stop my progress. "Where is he?"
"Down the corridor, second door to the left." Together we ran to the room. As I opened the door, I saw the doctors and nurses scurrying around Kankuro, not really knowing what to do. I pushed my way through the people to reach him.
"I'm sorry, you're not allowed-"
"Shut up!" I growled out again. Kankuro, his voice laced with pain, chuckled.
"You do have a backbone after all," he complimented. His body then seized and his muscles contracted. I took a careful note of his physical symptoms and the blood rushed from my face.
"What is it?" the doctor said, curious.
"This poison is something I've never seen before. The base is of the geryu plant, but the other ingredients are wreaking havoc in his systems. One part seems to be attacking the muscle structure itself. Yet another part seems to be working through his intestinal system." The doctor stared at me, then nodded once, deciding to trust me.
"What do we need?"
"I'm not sure exactly how to cure it, but bring me these items…" I rattled off a list and the nurses ran out, all of them going to fetch the plants I requested. I smoothed back Kankuro's hair in a soothing gesture. "They'll stave off of the pain and buy us some time."
"They've called for the Konoha ninja," the ANBU informed us. "There is a rumor that one of the kunoichi traveling with the group trained under Tsunade, the Hokage and legendary healer."
"How long?" I asked.
"They are expected within three days." I nodded.
"I can work with that." I looked toward the doctor and he nodded once. I only hoped that the Konoha ninja would come in time.
*********************
I woke on the third day only to see that once again, I slept the day away. For the last two days, I'd been constantly nursing Kankuro, devoting every ounce of my energy to his well being. As I opened the door, I gasped in surprise. He was sitting up! He had regained some of the color in his cheeks and seemed to have a bit more vitality than last night. How had this happened?
"You're awake, Ai," the ever so brilliant doctor noted. "I wanted to wake you earlier, but you kept sleeping, even when I shook you."
"But…how?"
"Sakura, one of the Konoha ninja, healed him. Turns out she is the one who studied under Tsunade. Thanks to her, Kankuro will survive." I ran over to Kankuro and helped him stand.
"Thanks, Ai-hime."
"Ai-hime?" He smirked at me.
"I thought it was appropriate." The ANBU took his other arm and pulled it around his shoulders, taking most of the weight.
"Will you be going after him?" The ANBU asked once we had left the hospital.
"Yes." I sighed, knowing nothing I said would change his mind.
"Be careful, Kankuro."
"I will Ai-hime." We walked him out to the outskirts of Suna and the ANBU reached into his weapons pouch. He pulled out a pill and gave it to Kankuro, who eagerly swallowed it.
"What's that?" I asked.
"A soldier pill," the ANBU answered as Kankuro ran off. "It will allow Kankuro three days of energy so he can function." I nodded and turned back to the ANBU.
"Would you go after him if I told you to?" He shook his head. "I thought I'd try."
**************************
A knock at the door had me bounding off of the couch and opening the door in record time. A Chunnin, as his vest stated, stood at the doorway, a smile on his face.
"They've found him and are on their way." My face broke out into a broad grin and I laughed in happiness.
"Let's go!" I called unnecessarily; the ANBU man was already by my side. To his surprise, I jumped on his back. He caught me easily and I could sense that he was smiling underneath his cat mask. He jumped away, following the Chunnin. We reached the gates in record time and he bounded to the very top to seat me at the best vantage point. Hours passed and I grew anxious. Were they attacked again? I was about to snap and go look for them until I spotted a small speck on the horizon. I laughed again and pointed at them. "I see them!" I cried out. A few seconds passed until everyone had spotted the entourage.
Almost as one, all of Suna erupted into a cheer at the return of their kazekage. The ranks finally broke as wave after wave of ninja ran towards the oncoming group. The ninja around me began to bound down the massive drops to the ground, but I stayed. I would get to see Gaara later tonight. The ANBU man stood beside of me, a bit breathless from cheering. I smiled at him and I could tell by his eyes that he was smiling at me.
"I told you he was all right," the ANBU said.
"I had to see him for myself." I was silent for a moment, then turned back to him. "What is your name?" It was a horribly improper question. An ANBU is not allowed to give his real name, no matter what the circumstances.
"My name…is not important. But if a visitor comes calling by the name of Akiko, he may be one of my friends." I laughed at his roundabout answer.
"And you shouldn't call me Misa any longer. Call me Ai." Our conversation was interrupted by the sudden hush in the ground. Gaara was saying something, but I was too far away to hear.
"He says that Elder Chiyo should go first and that we should honor her memory." I know what that meant. She had died in the line of duty. I stood and hung my head, praying for the Elder I had never known as the shinobi opened a passageway to let the group through.
****************** 3rd person POV
The three sand siblings held their heads and prayed for Elder Chiyo, the only thing they could give for her sacrifice. She had willingly given her life to save the Kazekage, atoning for the sins of her generation. Her brother walked beside of her, down the path the ninja of Suna had created. Kankuro, who was helping to support Gaara, looked around for Ai. She was bound to be around here somewhere. However, he could not spot her in the crowd of shinobi. He looked upwards, only to spot two silhouettes on Suna's gigantic walls. He grinned, drawing the attention of Gaara.
"What is it, Kankuro?"
"Ai. She did come to see you." Gaara followed Kankuro's line of vision and spotted her standing beside of the ANBU. "She was worried the entire time you were gone. An emotional wreck, if you ask me." Naruto, one of the Konoha ninja who was supporting Gaara's other side, spotted her as well.
"I know her," he said to Gaara. "She wished me luck on becoming the hokage. I…have something for her." The group fell silent once again, finally starting the trek to enter Suna once again.
*************************
"Are you not going to the hospital?" Akiko asked.
"I can't fight my way through that many people even if I WAS a ninja." Akiko laughed and turned.
"Then hop on. We'll do this the ninja way." I climbed onto his back and he jumped from roof to roof and onto the windowsill of Gaara's room. He knocked, drawing the attention of Temari and Kankuro. Temari was the one who opened the window. Kankuro, on the other hand, began laughing.
"I wondered how long it would take for you to get in here," he said. "Temari, you owe me 500 yen." Temari glared but slapped the money into his hand. "I love women's ingenuity," Kankuro muttered, stuffing the money into the pouch around his waist. "And to answer your question, he's fine." He pointed toward the sleeping Gaara.
"I thought he couldn't sleep!"
"He couldn't. Not before this, at least."
"What did they do to him?"
"They extracted the demon within him. However, when you take a demon from the host, it kills them." My eyes widened. "Gaara died. If it wasn't for Elder Chiyo, he wouldn't be alive now." Temari moved over to her sleeping brother's side and softly pushed his hair away from his forehead.
"How did she save him?"
"The man who attacked me, Sasori the puppet master, was her grandson. Sasori apparently had crafted his body into a doll, leaving only a wooden container that held his heart. Elder Chiyo had devised a method to give him his body back. However, it required her death to give him life. Instead of resurrecting Sasori, she resurrected Gaara." I said another quick prayer for the dead Elder, this time, with more fervor and gratitude. When I opened my eyes, Kankuro was smirking at me.
"What?" I asked, slightly blushing at the odd look on his face.
"You love my brother."
"What?" Temari asked, finally listening to our conversation. "Did you just say…"
"Yes. She loves Gaara." My cheeks flamed and I tried to force words out of my mouth, but none would come. "And disproving that she's a lesbian." I looked away from the two sand siblings and ignored the most likely amused Akiko.
"You're full of surprises, Ai." I scratched the back of my neck, thoroughly embarrassed by the turn of the conversation. As Temari continued to brush Gaara's hair away from his forehead, I saw the kanji on his forehead. I moved to Temari's side and traced the symbol on his forehead.
"The kanji…it's my name." Ai, meaning love, was written on his forehead in blood red kanji.
"The sand carved it after…" Kankuro trailed off and Temari picked the explanation up.
"He was hated as a young boy. His caretaker was the only one who showed him tolerance and love. After a while, Gaara grew to like him. One day, his caretaker tried to kill him. Gaara never was the same since that day. The sand carved that symbol onto his head. He claimed that 'he only loved himself'." I felt his pain once again and I closed my eyes, leaning over to kiss the symbol. I turned around, a blush tainting my cheeks.
"Well I like it," I stated. The room was quiet and I sighed. "He's awake, isn't he?" Again silence. "Dammit." This made Kankuro chuckle.
"There's that backbone again," he said, taking mercy on me.
"I had a backbone," I defended. "You just never saw it."
"What now?" Temari asked. I realized she hadn't heard this story and I buried my face in my hands.
"She cursed out the nurse," Kankuro informed.
"You did what?" Temari asked in disbelief. I whirled back around, ignoring Akiko's quiet laughter.
"She cursed at the nurse, barged into the operating room, and took over the job of helping cure Kankuro." I waved my hands in the air, trying not to stare at Gaara, who was sitting up.
"It wasn't like that! They just wouldn't let me in…and…I wanted to help." Kankuro burst out laughing.
"See? She'll make a good ninja, Temari." Temari sighed and turned back to Gaara, helping him sit up the rest of the way. I heard footsteps coming down the hallway and I ran over to Akiko. As I jumped on his back, I saluted at the sand siblings. However, the door opened and a ninja wearing an orange jumpsuit walked through the door. He quirked an eyebrow and I slowly got off of Akiko.
"Hi," I said, trying not to give into the impulse to blush.
"You're Ai, aren't you?" I nodded. He smiled at me and it was then that it clicked.
"You're Naruto!" he nodded.
"I have something for you." He reached into a pouch and drew something out. As he held out his hand, the breath caught in my throat. "This used to be Akina's." He held out her old necklace and I could feel the tears prickling in my eyes. In a rare show of physical emotion, I ran to Naruto and hugged him fiercely.
"Thank you," I whispered. "You have no idea what this means to me." As I heard multiple footsteps, I released Naruto and jumped back onto Akiko's back once more, saluting the ninja in the room.
"See you guys at home." Akiko jumped through the window again, but didn't head straight home. Although it was maybe a childish amusement, I loved this method of travel. Heck, I even loved piggy back rides. He took me out of Suna and to the edge of the cliffs.
"I thought you might want to see the sunset," he said. I nodded, smiling at him in gratitude. Akiko cocked his head, as if listening, then looked down at me. "I've been summoned back to Suna. Someone will be with you shortly to take you back." I nodded at him and turned back to the setting sun, simply basking in the perfect heat and beauty of my surroundings. Who knew a barren desert could still provide me with a beautiful, picturesque sunset? I closed my eyes and inhaled, used to the arid desert air. A slight breeze brushed past, stirring up the sand around me. I sneezed as some of the sand went into my nose and shook my head. As I opened my eyes, I spotted a pair of feet standing in front of me. I let my gaze drift upward until I locked eyes with Gaara.
"Gaara! Shouldn't you be resting?" I asked, afraid for him.
"No."
"But what if-" Sand in front of me suddenly rose and covered my mouth, effectively silencing me.
"I'm fine. We must return." I nodded and the sand fell away from my mouth and back onto the ground.
"But I can't run like you."
"You won't be running."
"Then how-" This time I was cut off by Gaara's totally unexpected action. He came to my side and picked me up bridal style. He turned back to the sunset and I smiled. "It's beautiful." He made a small noise to agree before turning back to Suna. He began to bound and I wrapped my arms around his neck, halfway afraid of him dropping me. Fortunately, we made it back to Suna without him dropping me. However, he didn't drop me off in front of the house. He jumped onto the roof and let me stand.
"We can watch the sunset here. It's still dangerous outside of Suna's walls." I nodded once and plopped down at my seat on the edge of the roof. Gaara sat beside of me and I laid my head on his shoulder, falling asleep.
I woke only to see the full moon once again adorning the sky. As I looked at Gaara, he was still wide awake. When he noticed I was coherent, he stood and helped me up with him.
"You need sleep."
"Thank you for everything, Gaara." I bowed in respect to the kazekage. As I rose back up, Gaara stepped towards me and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me against his body. I blushed at his actions and before he could think, he lowered his mouth onto mine. My senses exploded at the mere touch of his lips on mine and I slowly placed my hands on the tip of his vest and curled my fingers around the edge of it. He pulled away and I could see the surprise in his eyes. Not wanting this moment to end, I leaned up on my tiptoes and kissed him. He didn't pull away; he only pulled me closer. When we broke apart again, I looked him dead in the eye.
"I love you, Gaara of the Desert." His eyes widened and I burrowed my head in his neck, not wanting to see what his reaction of my confession would be.
"You barely know me."
"And that's what a lifetime is for." He pulled me away from him and kissed me, this time with a bit more pressure and passion. His lack of a replay didn't matter. I knew what he was trying to say.
I love you too, Ai.