One of Them
"Closing The Open Spaces."
Gaara sighed.
Being Kazekage wasn't all it was cracked up to be. He knew it wouldn't be the most entertaining job, but he didn't think all he'd do every single day was sign papers and have meetings with boring old men who were only there for their own profit.
He wish there was something more in his life, something more than.. paperwork, meetings, more paperwork... He rarely ever got to go out on the streets and converse with the villagers. He had to watch them from his office window.
Which was what he did now. He sighed, one hand touching the glass as he stared out through it. He watched the children play, watched the women chat as they shopped, watched the men smile happily as they worked on buildings, watched shop-keepers smile at the passerby, inviting them into their shops for treats, or gifts.
His eyes lowered to the floor. He wanted something more. He thought becoming the Hokage would help him earn respect, trust from his villagers.. And he could only watch them as they lived their daily lives. Sometimes, he just wanted to be one of them. No extraordinary ninja, no Hokage, no secret weapon.. Just a plain villager.
"Izumi, I'm leaving for the day." he said with a tone of voice that left no room for debate as he walked out of the Kazekage building.
"B-Bu--"
The glare that Gaara sent back at the old man was enough to make him stop in his tracks and hurry back inside without another word.
Gaara looked around as he slowly tread the sandy streets of Suna.
Suna. His home.
Many of the villagers were too busy to notice him, but those who did crowded around him, smiling at him. He looked at them all curiously.
His eyes widened when his legs were hugged by a pair of small arms. He looked down to see a small girl with dirty brown hair looking up at him with sparkling blue eyes, and she smiled brightly up at him, murmuring, "Kazekage-sama..!"
Gaara stared down at her in awe, and she smiled wider, teeth shining up at him. "Thank you, Kazekage-sama."
Gaara felt something tugging at his heart. He gulped, swallowing a small lump in his throat, and something made the corners of his mouth curve upwards slightly, in the smallest smile.
There was another tug on the back of his red outfit. He looked back and saw a little boy smiling up at him, the only teeth in his mouth being his two front ones. His eyes were a light green shade, his messy blonde hair almost covering the bright orbs. "Yeah, thank you, Kazekage-sama!"
Before he knew it, all the kids that had been playing ball on the street had gathered around him, hugging at his legs and tugging on his sleeves, asking questions, saying "arigato" or "I love you Kazekage-sama". Gaara was slightly overwhelmed.
He looked around, and now noticed that every single villager within sight had their attention focused on him. The women were smiling, blushing, making little giggles at the sight. Gaara looked at the men and they were smiling in encouragement. He even saw his sister Temari and his brother Kankuro among the crowd. They'd apparently come out of the Kazekage building to see what everyone was staring at.
Gaara cast a small glare at Temari, who was giggling loudly. 'I wanted to mingle with the people, but I didn't expect this,' He thought. No matter how agitated he was at his sister's giggling, he couldn't help but feel wanted.
He looked down at the children, and slowly raised his hands to set them on two different heads. He looked down at them all, the smallest smile gracing his lips. "Thank you."
He had gone to get some food. He was starving beyond belief. He looked around at the small shop. It looked quite similar to the Ichiraku's in Konoha. He ordered a bowl of seaweed ramen, and was waiting for it when an elderly woman walked into the little stand, sitting on the stool beside him.
"Evening, Kazekage-sama," she said with a knowing smile.
He looked at her. "Hello," he murmured.
"Why the lonely face?" she asked, cocking her head to the side.
"I'm no-..." the look on her face let him know it was no use to lie. He sighed, looking at the wall. "I don't know. I became Kazekage to get closer to the people.. And I feel like I'm even farther away than before."
The old woman smiled slyly at him. "Kazekage-sama, if you don't mind me asking, have you ever had any lovely young gals?"
He blinked. This hadn't occurred to him. "I.. no."
"I think that maybe what you need is some love," the elderly woman said with a large grin. Her false teeth were completely visible.
Was this woman.. hitting on him? Gaara's eye twitched as he looked at her. "I.. don't think so."
"I do," she said, smiling. "You need to find yourself a nice young gal, Kazekage-sama."
Gaara frowned some, resting his chin in the palm of his hand. He looked at the wall thoughtfully. "Who needs love.."
"You do!" the woman cackled. She poked the "love" scar on his forehead, before hopping off of her stool. "Remember, Kazekage-sama! Love makes a man stronger!"
Gaara looked after her and noticed that she never ordered anything. "Crazy old bat.." he grumbled.
[Okay, this was just a little cute one-shot I came up with. I'm actually debating on whether or not I should turn it into a full-blown GaaSaku story, or not. I'll leave that up to you guys. Review and let me know what you think!]