Random story idea that popped in my head. I tried to keep Gaara…well, Gaara. Review please!
"Saizen, go through these profiles of chunin exam candidates. I need to submit them to the Mist Village tomorrow." Gaara said as he handed a folder to her, barely looking up from the pile of paperwork on his desk. The kazekage was swamped as usual and Saizen took her assignment without comment.
As she leafed through the folder (many showed promise), Saizen thought about how much she loved her new job as one of the Leaf's liaisons with the Sand. It gave her much needed time outside the village, away from the prying eyes of villagers who expected her to go rogue as her brothers had. And as busy as Gaara kept her when she was there, the thoughts of Sasuke and Itachi lingered at the edge of her mind; she missed them terribly.
Here with the kazekage, she stayed in the mansion and hardly left Gaara's side. It was a welcome change from the cold, lonely nights in her empty apartment in the Leaf Village. Sometimes they talked, other times they were consumed by work. This one of the latter times, when the work at hand diverted their attention.
Several hours later, while Saizen was going over some scrolls of intel, Gaara spoke up suddenly. "It's getting late, Saizen."
Saizen stood up from her seat on the floor (she'd always preferred to sit on the floor, even as a child) and stretched. "Calling it a night? I will be in my room if you need me then." She turned and started to leave when she felt the familiar grainy texture of sand around her ankle.
"Actually I have another request for you, if that's okay." Gaara said quietly, releasing his hold once she had turned back to him.
Since when does he ask if it's okay?, Saizen thought. "Sure, Gaara. What is it?"
"Go to dinner with me. I have kept you busy far beyond the scope of your actual position and I at least owe you this."
"O-okay."
Once they had changed into casual attire, Gaara and Saizen walked through the streets of the Sand Village. It was quite pretty at night; the moon shone brightly in the sky and illuminated everything. Gaara came to a stop in front of a small shop and held back the curtain for her. He found them a seat toward the back of the shop, though there wasn't much of a back.
"Do you eat here often?" Saizen asked after their orders had been placed. She sipped at her tea and gazed about the shop. There were several people in here, mostly shinobi just getting off missions. Their eyes wandered over to them; they were probably intrigued as to why their kazekage was here with a strange girl from the Leaf.
"No. I found this place as a child. I would come here and think, escape from the harsh reality of everyday life. As I grew older, I just kept coming back. Now I'm here with you." Gaara answered. His seafoam green eyes were a little intense and Saizen found herself looking away from him. She felt her chin being tilted back up and again she was locked in his intense gaze.
"Saizen, your eyes are very beautiful. Like polished onyx." Gaara kept his hand on her chin, keeping her from looking down. "And when your sharingan is activated, they are like blazing rubies."
"Itachi, I hate my eyes." Saizen complained as she buried her head in her brother's chest, crying.
"Why do you hate them, Zen-chan?" Itachi soothed. He wanted to know why his little sister had come home from the Academy in tears.
She looked up in him, tears still in her eyes. "I hate them because all the other girls in my class have pretty colored eyes and mine…are black."
Itachi patted her head as he often did when he thought she was being unreasonable. "Zen-chan, those black eyes of yours are a symbol of your Uchiha heritage. You should be proud of them, not ashamed."
"But they aren't pretty. Boys only like pretty colored eyes." She had stopped crying but was still visibly upset.
Itachi put a hand under her chin and gently tilted her head up. "Zen-chan, someday a boy will find your eyes the most beautiful thing on this earth. Just give it time."
A tear slid down Saizen's cheek. Itachi had been right. A few more tears escaped and Saizen found herself quietly sobbing.
"Why are you crying? Did I say something wrong?" Gaara grasped her free hand in an attempt at comfort.
She waved him off and wiped away her tears; the sobbing had subsided for now. "No, no! You didn't say anything. I just…I just miss them."
The waitress brought out their food and they ate, easily falling back into their normal conversation pattern. She was the only one who could make Gaara laugh. Well, it wasn't really a laugh, more of a glorified chuckle, but she thought it was cute either way. Suddenly, Gaara put his chopsticks down and looked at her. Uncomfortable, she put her chopsticks down as well.
"Is something the matter, Gaara?" Saizen asked.
"Do you like me?" Gaara said bluntly.
"What kind of question is that? Of course I do! I don't do paperwork for just anyone, you know. In fact—''
"That's not what I meant. I meant, do you…feel…" Gaara struggled to form his question and Saizen realized it still was hard for him to express sentiment. He'd only just started having actual friends. But Saizen knew what he was trying to ask her.
"You mean, do I like you in a romantic way." Saizen finished for him.
"Yes."
Saizen paused for a moment. Did she like him? Did she want to be with him? She thought back to when they first crossed paths, at the chunin exams five years ago. She hated him then; hated him because he hurt Sasuke, her twin brother, the other half of her. They met again and actually started to talk shortly before his departure home after the failed Sasuke rescue mission. Since then, they'd grown incredibly close. That's why Saizen jumped at the chance to become a liaison.
"It's not fair! Why did you have to go and leave me all alone like this?" Saizen screamed at the nameplate on the fresh grave before her. It was pouring down rain and she was soaked to the bone, but she couldn't pull herself away. Sasuke Uchiha. The name, nearly obscured by all the flowers she'd left for him, taunted her. Beside his grave laid Itachi, his smooth polished nameplate also covered in flowers.
She sank to her knees, body racked with sobs. She also began to cough; in the back of her mind she knew she was getting sick from being out in this cold downpour for so long. And then, she no longer felt the rain on her. She looked up and saw the sand shield over her, hardened to shield her from the elements. Standing a few feet away was Gaara, face tightened in concentration to keep the sand hardpacked in the rain. She silently thanked him.
Gaara.
"Yes, I like you. In fact, I love you."
Gaara's eyes widened. "You…love me?"
Saizen nodded and gave a soft smile. "Gaara, you have become my world. You have no idea how much I enjoy being with you. You keep me strong, keep me together. And I can't imagine my future without you. I don't know how or if it would work, but I love you and I want to stay with you forever."
When Gaara didn't say anything in response, Saizen got up and went to his side of the table and slid in beside him. She leaned against his shoulder. Hesitantly, his arm came down to rest around her, his hand slowly relaxing on her waist. Encouraged, she closed her eyes and leaned up, lightly putting her lips to his. He responded with the same light touch.
"I love you too, Saizen."
After a few moments of sitting happily in Gaara's embrace, Saizen sighed. "Where do we go from here? Is a relationship even possible?"
"I don't know. I don't know what our future will be like. But whatever it is, I shall face it head on, with you by my side."