Gaara stared out at his village, standing on top of the Kazekage's mansion, knowing that in just a few moments his "Keeper" would be right next to him. The woman had been assigned to keep him safe when he had Shukaku inside of him, and even now that the beast was gone her clan of keepers had let her stay with him—the man had promised an alliance with the tiny village where she was from just to keep her by his side. Remembering how once when she had left him for a week when they were fourteen to visit her family how… strange it had felt without her. They had met when they were six, and he just couldn't see his life without her.
The twenty year old man couldn't tell what sort of feeling he had for the other but he knew that after fighting with her in a war, having her help him control Shukaku when he was inside of him, he wanted her by his side. The red head felt a familiar chakra surround him like a warm cloud, not at all surprised when Ami had landed right next to him. A slight smile came onto his face, after knowing her for fourteen years he knew how long it took for her to find him, how she reacted to him sneaking off for privacy… he knew her inside and out—just as well as she knew him.
The blonde woman rested her arm on Gaara's shoulder, leaning against him as they watched the sun set on their village. Smiling softly up at him, feeling the familiar pounding of her heart and her stomach tying itself up in knots when she touched him. But that could be ignored for the most part, ignoring and concealing her feelings for the man was something she had grown better and better at. He didn't know romantic love, hadn't even believed in love at all until a few years prior. Why tell him about it and watch him get upset. Watch him possibly get hurt. She couldn't have that, she wanted to protect this man with her life, she couldn't stand to hurt him even if it was emotionally.
Looking up at him with a slightly amused smile, "You've gotten better at sneaking away, still really damn bad at hiding though—It only took me three minutes to track you down Gaara." Smiling slightly as the sun set below the horizon, casting a wonderful reddish orange hue over the tan and brown village. Seeing lights come on one by one, people opening their windows to let the cold desert night air into their homes. Mothers were dragging their children back home, the small children digging their heels in the ground to try and keep from leaving their friends… she could definitely see why Gaara came here to watch his village, the view was amazing and it really brought life to the desert and all that surrounded it. Letting her arm slide off of his shoulder she brushed a stray lock of long hair out of her face before looking up at her charge, "So Temari can't cook tonight since she's out on a date with Shikamaru while he's in town, and I'm pretty sure Kankuro is out drinking with his buddies so it's just us tonight. Do you know what you want to do for dinner? It's my turn to cook." Almost wanting to go back into the mansion as the air around them turned cold, she had lived with Gaara and his siblings since she had moved to Suna, her room a small one right next to Gaara's so she could take care of him at all times.
"Let's have rice porridge with chicken… how does that sound?" seeing her smile out of the corner of his eye, the man wondered in the back of his mind if she knew that he was going to request that. It was his favorite dish after all. Shrugging a bit he jumped down from the roof without warning, landing easily on his feet as Ami landed right next to him. Gaara led her inside, sitting in the kitchen patiently as she made dinner for the two of them, letting his mind wander a bit as he watched her cook for them both. To when they first met, to when he first met the woman in front of him. He had used to hate her vehemently, considering her nothing more than a nuisance. That feeling hadn't changed until after the invasion of Konaha where he had met Naruto. He was glad he saw her differently now, that they were so close, it seemed like that they could communicate without words. One of the first things Ami had told him was that he could ask her anything and she would always reply to him honestly, and for all he could tell she had kept that promise. Tapping his index finger on his glass of water, feeling the sand in his gourd leaning against the wall shift anxiously as he thought about the question that had been eating at him recently. He really couldn't tell why he was so hung up on what her opinion on him was but he had been finding himself forgetting to pay attention in meetings as he wondered about it. Looking up in a bit of surprise when she broke his reverie, asking him what was wrong. Gaara stared at her for a few moments more before speaking. "What was your first thought when you met me?"
The corner of her mouth twitching upwards, he had been asking her things like this constantly for the past few weeks. Stirring the porridge as she thought back to their first meeting, a tiny chuckle working its way out of her mouth. The boy she had met back then was much different than the man next to her now. She remembered when they first met just as vividly as it was yesterday.
The small blonde girl ran excitedly through the gates of her new home village. She had been dreaming of this day for as long as she could remember—the seven year old had been trained since she could walk and told since she could walk that her whole life would come to this day. The day where she would finally meet and be able to protect Subaku no Gaara. Her heart ached for the boy, she had heard all about his life, his mother had applied for him to have a keeper while she was pregnant—and had died when she gave birth prematurely. His uncle had tried to kill him when he was five, she couldn't repeat what her father had called his father without getting in trouble but she was very much surprised to hear such a foul word come out of her gentle father's mouth. Bursting into his room, seeing the smaller redheaded boy turn around in shock and surprise.
A wide smile on her face, a small wooden talisman hanging from her neck to protect her from any attacks of his sand—but the girl was sure that it wouldn't be needed. Her mother had told her that all the boy needed was love, and as long as Ami showed it to him all would be well. "Hello! My name is Ami, and I'll be your keeper! Let's be good friends alright Gaara?" seeing two other children stare at her in shock through the door she turned around and waved, "You must be Temari and Kankuro! It's nice to meet you~!" shocked when sand surrounded her, was her charge attacking her? Glad now that she was wearing the talisman she heard the boy scream in frustration when he realized his sand wouldn't get close enough to her to kill the strange girl in his room. Finally piping up when he had dropped the sand from around her, the young child glaring at her like she had committed some sort of horrible atrocity by not dying. "Well aren't you rude…" hearing Gaara's older brother Kankuro softly say that she would be dead in a week she wondered if he was right. This hadn't gone as planned.
Ami smiled at Gaara as she poured him a bowl of porridge, putting some chicken in there as well before serving herself and sitting next to him at the kitchen table. "My first thought when I met you was that you were a very rude child for trying to kill me for no reason… and I was entirely determined to become friends with you. No matter what." Eating a bit of her porridge and washing it down with water, "Think we got there though. You're my best friend."
The redhead ate quietly, pondering on her words. It made him happy to hear that he was her best friend that she felt the same way. He stayed quiet for a bit longer wanting to apologize for how he acted when they first met. Gaara was sure that she was just going to hurt him like everyone else had—but now things were different… he was different. He couldn't dream of hurting the woman before him. He didn't know that if the strange feelings in his chest when she was around was love of any sort but he knew that he wanted to protect her with everything that he had. About to apologize for what had happened so long ago but knowing that Ami would only shut him down before he could get it all out. Finishing his food and picking up both his and Ami's bowl once she was done eating as well, rinsing them off in the sink as she picked up the utensils and such. Gaara could not put a word on their relationship, he couldn't say if they were just friends, he couldn't say if they were dating—although he had a feeling since they hadn't kissed or talked about romantic things that probably wasn't the case, he couldn't say if they were going to date one day. But he knew that he liked having her by his side.