As Gaara climbed out of the cocoon into the warm desert sunshine, his eyes scanned the horizon. He saw the priest laying on the ground just below the rock he'd been perched on. Rock Lee, Fuu's team-mates, and his student Matsuri were all standing there over him with caution and concern on their faces.
Neji turned to him.
"He's trapped in his own chains. What should we do with him?"
"May I ask you not to kill him? He is someone from my village, and I don't want his blood on my hands. Perhaps, with your technique, you could release his chakra points and free him."
"Sure. I'll see what I can do."
Neji walked over to the others and knelt by Houichi while everyone else stood back. His hands moved with long-studied precision over the chakra points, releasing the chain that restrained the priest.
Tenten lightly touched Gaara's arm. "Are you hurt at all?"
"No. Thank you for asking, though." He smiled weakly at her and crossed his arms comfortably over his chest. "I'm simply fatigued from having so much chakra extracted."
Neji stood up and returned to the cocoon.
"He'll be fine. One of our teams will take him to the medical unit."
"Thank you, Neji. Imagine, being rescued by someone like you."
"Oh, it's not that big of a deal." The byakugan user smiled warmly. "Nothing that Naruto wouldn't have done."
"Yeah."
Lee stepped up beside Neji. "Is everyone alright?"
Fuu nodded, her eyes sparkling in Neji's direction. "Mm! We're ok here!"
There were pounding footsteps behind them, and Neji and Lee turned around.
Gaara froze. His eyes widened and his lips parted slightly. He made a small 'nngh' sound in his throat.
Neji noticed his hesitation and spoke first. "Matsuri, is everything taken care of over there?"
"Yes, Neji-kun. He's sort of half-conscious, now."
She looked past Neji to smile brightly at Gaara, her deep black eyes gazing fondly at him beneath thick brown eyelashes.
"Thank goodness you're safe, Gaara-sama. I was worried sick about you!"
He blushed and bit his lip shyly, causing Neji to move aside and speak in his ear as one would encourage a timid child. His teasing tone did nothing to alleviate the sudden tension between the redhead and his precious student.
"Matsuri went to get help, and had to leave her team-mates behind. She collapsed before she could get to us, and when we found her, she begged us to help her rescue you. She performed admirably, didn't she?"
Gaara swallowed hard, his blush deepening. After a moment he slowly let out the breath he was holding, and he nodded and smiled. His green eyes sparkled with happiness.
"I..….. I was worried about you, too. Um…. thank you for coming back to save me."
She glowed with pride as her smile widened.
"Alright. Lee, Tenten, let's go." Neji turned to leave.
"Sure. Where are we going?"
"We'll head to the tower, but first we'll find some place to stay for the night."
"Ok….."
The dialogue faded into the background as he stared at her. Her face was still pink from running around the desert trying to save him, and her tangled hair fluttered in the wind.
Even after so much had happened, she was still incredibly beautiful.
But that wasn't all. He was beginning to see her in a new light: she'd come all this way to rescue him, and left her team-mates behind, knowing that she was putting herself in greater danger than she would have been if she had stayed at his side. He assumed that she had a good reason for leaving the other two behind; she and Yukata were inseparable.
Could it be?
Does it mean that she….?
"Lord Kazekage?"
He blinked, withdrawing himself from his inner thoughts.
"Yes? I'm sorry, I was spacing out."
Kegon and Yorou bowed.
"It's alright, sir. We'll take the priest to the tower."
"Very well. When you get there, tell them that the Kazekage has ordered that he be treated with kindness, even though he tried to kill me. And he should be looked at by a medic. He's just a 'pawn' on the chess board. I'll handle the 'king' when I return. By the way, thank you for everything, Fuu."
She nodded and smiled. "You're welcome."
"Do you by any chance know who the Akatsuki are?"
"No."
"They are a group of mercenary shinobi who are collecting the tailed beasts for their own ends, and they have to kill the host in order to extract them, as you've seen here. They wear black cloaks with a red cloud pattern. You must be careful not to get caught by them."
"Sure! Thanks for the tip!"
They walked over to Houichi, and one of them lifted him onto his back with the assistance of the other two. Then they took off for the central tower.
Gaara turned to see Matsuri scanning the horizon for her team-mates and applying a thin layer of moisturizing balm to her dry lips. He swallowed nervously once more, his heightened jinchuuriki senses picking up a slight whiff of the fruit-scented balm, and took a deep breath.
"Matsuri?"
"Y-yes, sir?" She turned to face him.
"Um….. can I borrow that for a moment? I left mine at the central tower."
"Oh, um….. sure. I don't mind. It's an organic blend with acai and blackberry extract."
He opened the little tin, wiped his ring finger across the creamy substance inside, applied it to his lips, and smacked them together quietly.
His eyes darted between her face and her dusty clothing.
"So….. what happened?"
"My team-mates and I ran to get help after we left you, but Yukata-chan twisted her ankle and couldn't go on. So I told Mikoshi to stay with her. I didn't think to tell them where to meet me afterward."
Her expression became sheepish.
"Um….. Gaara-sama….. I'm sorry for disobeying your orders."
Mild frustration rose in his chest, but he suppressed it, knowing it would only escalate the already awkward situation. Instead, he crossed his arms over his chest to contain his pounding heart.
"Why did you do it? …..I mean, what made you come back and save me?"
She bit her lip. "I, u-um…. Y-you see….."
"What?"
"I… I don't know any other way to say it…. that you might understand…"
Her face darkened.
"You, um…...You're 'precious' to me."
His mouth fell open.
"I—I mean, we've always been friends, and you've protected me every time I'm in trouble, and you've taught me things about life that go way beyond what was expected of you as a sensei. You mean the world to me! How could I let you die, after all of that?!"
Her hands balled into fists, meeting his gaze directly. Her dark eyes flashed with passion.
"You….. you crazy, reckless fool! You're always running after me when there's a hint of danger, and then you insist that I leave the scene because you think I'm not strong enough! You don't trust my skill enough to let me protect you!"
"M-Matsuri, I-"
"You could have been killed!" she interrupted. "I spoke with Fuu before she left. And she said you made no effort to negotiate with that priest and talk him out of it. On top of that, you insisted that the second exam be held in the Wind Country. You were just daring them to do it! You knew they'd come and kill you! How could you do that?! Many people would suffer after you died! And not just the alliance between Suna and Konoha, but your friends as well!"
Tears came to his eyes. He swallowed a third time.
"I witnessed my parents' murder, and after that, I've blamed myself for not being strong enough to save them. You taught me how to protect others, but you sent me away because you don't want me to get hurt. What was all that training for, if I can't protect those closest to me? I risked my life to save yours. It was a risk I was willing to take, because I can't imagine going on without you. Not even for a moment."
Something inside of her shattered, and she broke down crying.
"Damn it….. I love you, Gaara," she choked out, wiping tears from her cheeks. "I love you so much that my chest literally aches when I'm not with you for a long time, or when I'm worried about you, or when I see you surrounded by all the other girls in the village. I've never loved anyone like this before; not even my parents, or, my friends, or my childhood crush. It's so terrifying and exciting all at once. Sometimes I don't know if I should knock you out or kiss you senseless!"
Still, he said nothing. Seeing this, Matsuri turned away in disappointment.
"Apparently it doesn't matter to you. I should go and look for my team-mates. Please excuse me….."
He stood pensively, remembering his conversation with Neji in the cocoon.
'Her heart was aching with worry for you', he had said.
This, he supposed, was what it was like to be needed, to be truly desired, and he was letting her walk away because he was too scared to say anything. He had always been scared of her, even after teaching her to overcome her fears and achieve results. She had seemingly blossomed overnight from a fragile, apologetic, insecure little girl to a strong-hearted and kind young woman. He had been so afraid of telling her about his feelings, knowing that she might reject his advances just like everyone else had when he was a young boy. But he knew that if he let her go now, he'd regret it later.
Suddenly, his own heart twinged. On impulse, he unfastened his gourd and strode forward, catching on to her hand.
"Matsuri."
She froze at his touch.
Gaara hesitated, but gathered strength from the fact that she hadn't tried to pull free. He came around to stand in front of her.
Seeing his earnestness softened the disappointment and frustration on her face, replacing it with a hazy expression of uncertainty.
"It….. it does matter to me…."
He stepped closer.
"I've been trying to tell you that for the last 2 years."
Her brow creased in confusion.
"I'm not good at saying it straight out, so I used metaphors. Like 'break down the barriers that you create' and 'grasp results that you desire'. I wasn't just talking about overcoming your fears and winning battles. I was talking about the fact that my ultimate defense is subconsciously activated whenever I try to make physical contact with people. But I've overcome that now."
He squeezed her hand gently.
"Look. I'm touching you, and it doesn't get in the way."
"But you make contact with people all the time, as a Kage, don't you?"
"I've had to work up to that point, even for them. With you it's more difficult, because we're close friends. I've never really understood why until recently."
"Oh."
"I know it seemed like I was committing suicide, but almost everything I've done from the day I met you in the Academy, to right here and now, I've done for you."
Matsuri gasped in awe.
"I've become very proud of you, and I do trust your skills as a kunoichi. I knew you were ready for the trials of a normal chuunin exam. I wanted so badly to reject your application because it would be too dangerous, that you would be caught in the middle of this domestic dispute and killed for protecting me. But I knew I couldn't play favourites and let my feelings get in the way. I couldn't refuse when Tsunade asked to hold the exams early this year, and on top of that I knew that the opposition would choose that time to strike, so I found myself on a collision course with death either way. I wanted to keep you safe in the midst of that. Worrying about you was a constant distraction, and yet my secret motivation."
He stepped so close that their bodies pressed against one another, placing his arm around her for support.
"And because of that… more often than not, I find myself needing to touch you. But I've always controlled my body's reaction to your presence because it would be an even greater distraction from training you. That's why I told you to become emotionless when you fight, so that your feelings don't get in the way of your responsibilities."
He slid one hand into her hair and pushed it away from her face, leaning in shyly, his eyes mesmerized by her lips.
"Now that you've graduated, I don't have to hide my feelings for you anymore."
"Gaara…..." she half-whispered, half-breathed, sliding her hands over his shoulders.
Her trembling voice and the brush of her fingers on his neck shattered the thinly stretched tension between them. He leaned in the rest of the way in one smooth motion and kissed her deeply.