…spending such times of celebration with his siblings was something to which he had gradually grown accustomed, familiar even, but this was something entirely different…
prompt #1 for GaaSaku month! :-)
Gaara sat at the kitchen table silently enjoying his tea and surveying all of Suna out of a giant window. Today was the last day of the year, and everyone was bustling about, hanging up lanterns and decorations over every house and building in sight. Tonight held a giant festival for all of Suna, followed by some of the most impressive fireworks in all the land.
Gaara smiled to himself as he watched the young children run up and down the streets in excitement while their parents kept a watchful eye on them.
For now, the house was quiet, but he knew that would all change as soon as everyone woke up.
It was the time of year where everyone in Suna seemed to come together and celebrate, putting all the quarrels, disagreements, and hardships aside.
When he was younger, he would avidly avoid everyone this time of year because it seemed that their goodwill was for everyone but him.
But now, well, times had surely changed.
He had his siblings to thank for that. Spending such times of celebration with his siblings was something to which he had gradually grown accustomed to. But this year's holiday season had been something completely different for all of them...and it was all because of Sakura.
This was her first experience with the holidays in Suna, and her excitement, naivety, and own traditions had brought new light to the sand sibling family.
For Thanksgiving she made a dish that she said was a tradition in her family and everyone enjoyed it, especially Kankurou.
Around Christmas she told them stories of how they would chop a small evergreen tree down, bring it inside, and decorate it with brightly colored lights and ornaments. She seemed sad that this was one tradition she couldn't bring to her new family because there was no such tree in the desert climate.
That night, his siblings called a meeting, and it was decided that a tree would be created for the pink haired girl that had changed their lives for the better.
When Sakura woke up the following morning, she came down to an evergreen tree made of sand. She all but squealed in happiness when she saw it and gave him the biggest hug and whispered a quiet 'thank you' in his ear.
That night, they all decorated the tree while the told each other stories of their own traditions.
And now it was New Years Eve.
Lightly blowing the steam off the top of his cup, Gaara smiled to himself at how excited she would be with all of the music, dancing, food, and celebration that she would be experiencing.
Light footsteps padded on the floor behind him, announcing that she was awake.
"There you are." she said sleepily as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders from behind him. "How long have you been awake?"
"Not long." he replied as he leaned into her embrace. "I didn't want to wake you up, you were sleeping so well."
"You should have." she stated as she placed a soft kiss on the side of his neck.
A low, happy growl rose in his chest as he placed his tea on the table and pulled her into his lap.
"What's going on out there?" she asked as she looked out the window for the first time. She seemed to be mesmerized by all of the busy commotion down in the streets.
"They're preparing for tonight." Gaara responded simply.
Snuggling back into his lap, Sakura let out a happy sigh. "Thank you for making this holiday season so special for me. It's been the best I can remember."
Smiling to himself and planting a kiss in her hair he said, "No, thank you."
Emerald eyes smiled up at him as she pulled him into a kiss.
"Hey you two, get a room!" Temari's voice sounded from behind them.
A small blush crept onto her cheeks and she buried her face into his neck and giggled.
"Come on Sakura, us girls have to start getting ready! We have to get you some clothes to make you a proper Sunan woman for tonight."
Sakura smiled at her, nodded, then turned back to him. "I'll see you later."
He simply nodded and removed his arms from around her waist, allowing her to get up.
The girls' happy chatter echoed through the halls of the house until they walked out of the door and closed it behind them.
Gaara smiled to himself and, for the first time, found himself looking forward to tonight and everything it would bring.