"Woo! Go Ari!" Arianna's best friend Mayuri cheers from the viewing platform after Arianna advances through the preliminaries. Ari runs up to Mayu and they hug excitedly at Arianna making it through.
"You were fantastic." Mayu smiles at the strawberry blonde and giggles. "But I never expected any less. You are my best friend after all."
"Of course," Ari smiles at the snowy-haired girl with her blue eyes closed. Then she feels the hairs on the back of her neck stand up as a shiver runs down her spine.
"He's staring at you again Ari…" Mayuri whispers as Ari turns around just enough to look across the room at the other viewing platform. There, just like all the other rounds of the exams, Ari sees the Sand ninja Gaara staring at her. She doesn't understand his fascination with her and it's a little creepy. He hasn't said a word to her, but at the end of every round she's noticed his dark eyes are always on her.
"I'm gonna go say something," Mayuri says as she starts to head over there, but Ari catches her arm and shakes her head.
"It's fine Mayu." Ari smiles at her. "I'll deal with it I promise."
Mayu stares at her friend but sighs and smiles at her. They both lean against the railing and wait for the next battle to be announced, dark eyes across the room never leaving the strawberry blonde angel.
~Years Later
"Mayu come on!" Ari runs into Mayu's apartment with her knapsack on her back, ready to leave for their vacation. "Naruto is waiting for us!"
"I'm coming!" Mayu pulls her own bag onto her back and smiles at the other girl. "Let's go!"
The two girls run out into the village streets, meet up with their blonde friend, and head out for vacation.
"Wow!" Ari puts a hand over her eyes to block out the sun and looks out at the oasis. How Naruto managed to get the whole place to the three of them Ari will never understand but damn is she glad for it.
"Come on Ari!" Mayuri runs out and glomps the other girl with the biggest smile on her face. "Let's go play in the water!"
"Okay!" The two girls run into the water, Ari diving in ahead of Mayu. When she surfaces again, Mayu is waving at Naruto and an oddly familiar redhead…
Mayu and Ari exit the pool and walk up to the boys and as the redhead's dark eyes meet with Ari's sapphire ones the hairs stand up at the back of her neck and she's instantly transported back to her memories of the chuunin exams.
"This is Kazekage Gaara of the Sand." Naruto motions to the male in question but he and Ari are just staring at each other. "This is his private oasis."
"Thanks for letting us use it! I'm Mayuri!" The snowy haired girl smiles and elbows her friend, knocking Ari out of her daze. "This space cadet is Arianna."
"It's nice to meet you." Gaara attempts a smile, Ari finally shying away from his intense gaze. "Please, enjoy the oasis."
"Thanks! Naru-chan, come swim with me!" Mayuri grabs the hand of the boy in question and pulls him towards the water, leaving Ari alone with the mysterious ginger.
"So…" Ari pulls on a strand of her hair nervously, averting her eyes from him only for a second. When she looks back up, he's gone. She glances around, looking for him, before heeding to the calls of her friends and running back into the water.
Later, Ari has wrapped herself in a towel and is heading back to her and Mayuri's room in the beach house type building from the bath. She has her strawberry blonde hair piled at the crown of her head and feels completely relaxed. She's so glad she let Mayu convince her to come on this trip, she needed this.
She passes by Naruto's room and hears the unmistakable giggle of Mayuri through the door. Smiling to herself, she gives her best friend a mental thumbs up before continuing to her room.
She steps out onto the terrace, still in just the towel and enjoys the cool night breeze on her heated skin. Stretching, Ari takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly before turning back towards her room. But when she does, her eyes lock on something to her left and she pulls the kunai she always keeps on her out and readies it.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." Gaara walks out from the shadows and smiles meekly at her. "I just happened to be walking around the oasis and saw you."
"Honestly, I know you've been following me all day and it's kind of creepy." Ari lowers her kunai and folds her arms. "What do you want anyway?"
"Well… perhaps we could continue this conversation after you've dressed?" Gaara continues to look at her but to his credit, Ari has only seen his eyes dart over her body once. Blushing, Arianna runs into her room, leaving the door open, and throws on a lacey purple and white night dress.
She turns around to see Gaara has followed her into her room and stands just inside the doorway. Thankful for the darkness to hide her blush, Ari walks up to him and stops a few steps away. "S-sorry about that…"
"It's okay." Gaara closes the distance between them and looks down at her. "I don't know if you remember, but I watched all of your rounds at the exams a long time ago. I believe your friend was also there."
"Yeah, we noticed." And thought you were totally creepy for staring at me but hey, let's let bygones be bygones. Arianna smiles as him and tucks a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
"Your hair was a lot shorter then…" Gaara reaches up and releases Ari's tresses from the clip and they fall down, framing her heart-shaped face. He gently slips his fingers through the locks of hair at the back of her neck and tilts her head up to him. "I like it this way…"
Ari, captured by his dark, intense gaze, finds herself unable to resist as he gently pushes his lips to hers. Her eyes flutter closed and she places her hands on his chest, accepting his affection. This seems to be the invitation he needed because he knots both of his hands in her hair and forcibly kisses her.
Arianna finds herself matching his passion, grabbing onto his open shirt and pulling herself closer. They break for a moment to breathe and Gaara smiles at her, his hands traveling down her body to rest at her hips. He leans down and captures her bottom lip with his teeth gently. "Can I stay here with you tonight?"
Ari blushes deeply, understanding the meaning between the lines, but nods in agreement. Gaara kisses her passionately, lifting her up and carrying her across the room to the bed. He falls down on top of her, trailing kisses down her throat and to the v-cut hem of her dress. Ari tangles her fingers in his red locks, gently keeping him close as her skin tingles. Gaara moves off of her to crouch at the edge of the bed. He closes his eyes and drags his lips ever so gently over her legs, sending shivers through the object of his desire.
Gaara has fantasized about a night like this with the beautiful Arianna, ever since he saw her that very first time at the exams. She'd been talking with Naruto and Mayuri, sitting on a desk as they awaited the start of the first round. Gaara had thought she was the most beautiful creature he'd ever seen and he'd watched her every chance he could, more and more interested in the girl he'd never spoken to.
Now, with her quivering under the delicate touch of his fingers, Gaara is living his fantasy. And he intends to make the most of it.
Gently kissing up her leg, Gaara deeply breathes in, forcing himself to go slow and really take in every part of this moment. Her skin smells of vanilla and lilies and feels as silky as water. He opens his dark eyes and, now grazing his lips over the tender skin on the inside of her thighs, looks over her.
Her skin glows, she looks almost surreal in the gentle moonlight through the still open door. Her blue eyes are deepened in color as desire swims through them under a thick layer of lashes. Her eyelids droop ever so slightly and her cheeks are flushed as he moves up to look her in the eyes. A faint smile teases her lips.
Gaara kisses her sweetly, caging his otherwise rampant desire in favor of savoring. She kisses him back, wrapping her arms around him as he lets his weight hold her down. He kisses around her face, from her cheeks to her jaw and he feels her body becoming pliable beneath him.
Ari can't remember ever feeling so wanted, so passionate. Her skin tingles everywhere he touches and inwardly she's begging for him to just end the torture already. Yet at the same time Arianna can not find the words to communicate her own desires. He's teasing her, slowly undressing her, gently touching her, it's enough to drive a girl mad.
Finally, naked and vulnerable beneath him, Ari can take no more. She flip them so she's on top and tears at his shirt, sending the buttons flying in all directions. Gaara attempts to calm her again, murmuring her name and trying to push her back over, but Ari will allow no such thing.
"I can't take it anymore…" she growls into his ear as she drags her tongue along it. Gaara quakes beneath her and as Ari takes his mouth again in a fiery passion, he allows his own monster loose.
Soon bared to each other, emotions are communicated through actions and throaty moans as they take each other to the edge and over it, losing themselves in each other.
Ari awakens the next morning in a mess of tangled limbs that definitely aren't hers. She opens her eyes, feeling completely loose and relaxed, and locks her gaze onto the face of the sleeping man beside her.
Gaara sleeps soundly, his arms wrapped around her and he cuddles into her like a child. His face is relaxed and Ari isn't sure if his hair is bed-messy or sex-messy but either way he's adorable.
Ari smiles and kisses his nose, accidentally waking the Kazekage from his slumber. "Good morning."
"It is when I saw you first thing…" Gaara burrows his way into the crook of her neck and Ari unintentionally shivers. Gaara's even breathing relaxes her and Arianna finds herself smiling and relaxing herself. Absolutely nothing can ruin this moment for her.
"Ari-chan! Ari-chan are you awake yet?!"
Except uninvited guests.
"M-Mayuri don't come in! I-I'm not decent!" Ari's cheeks are suddenly very red and she sits bolt upright, the blanket falling into her lap and revealing her bare skin. She scrambles out of bed and yanks a brush through her hair as Gaara lounges on the previously shared bed amused.
"Aren't you going to get dressed?" Ari hisses, just loud enough that Gaara hears her but not Mayuri outside the door.
"Why?" Gaara chuckles as Ari stands next to him, her thighs brushing the edge of the bed. "She's going to find out one way or another."
"Well yeah but not like this!" Ari makes a face at him and turns to walk away towards her bag when Gaara wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her next to him on the bed, causing her to yelp in surprise.
"Ari are you alright?! I heard you yell and I-" The snowy haired girl stops and stares at the sight before her for a second before blushing deeply and covering her eyes. Arianna blushes deeply and races to cover herself as Gaara just laughs.
"Y-you could have said you were… uh… busy Ari-chan." Mayuri shuffles her feet and keeps her eyes covered with her fingers. Arianna isn't sure who's more embarassed: her or her poor best friend.
"I, uh, I'm gonna go find Naruto…" Mayuri turns around and peeks through her fingers so she doesn't run into a wall or something. "I'm sure he's making food right now… N-Naruto! I'm hungry!"
Ari throws herself back against the pillows in complete embarrassment as the door closes behind Mayuri. This couldn't possibly have been worse.
"Well that was… interesting." Gaara kisses Ari's lips gently as a smile teases his lips.
"Poor Mayu," Ari says as she stares at the ceiling. "I've ruined her innocence."
Gaara lets out a snorty laugh and wraps his arms around his love. "Arianna, I think you think too little of your friend." Gaara kisses a spot found the night before on the underside of Arianna's jaw that causes her to shake. "So…how about round two?"