Kie kie, part two! I'm sorry for the long delay but I've had a SERIOUS case of writers block…. (So also my apologies if this chappie isn't as good as it could be!) So, now with my Minute Maid Strawberry Passion and Lacuna Coil, onward, my fellow writers!
Oh, yeah…. I don't own Naruto….
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It was nearly a week later now, and Gaara was waiting at the palace gates for an entourage to arrive. Her entourage, in fact. Ino would be arriving soon, and soon after plans for there wedding would start. Gaara let out a subconscious sigh, thinking about the mysterious woman. He couldn't get her out of his head.
"Is something the matter, my lord?"
Gaara turned his gaze to see Anko standing there, dressed in her most extravagant priestess robes. She looked up at him with her intelligent brown eyes. Gaara shivered.
"It's nothing…"
Anko raised an eyebrow in skepticism, but did not voice whatever was going through her head.
"Whatever you say," she replied.
It was only a minute later when the trumpets at the city gates sounded, and Ino came forth with her entourage. She smiled at him as she and her two closest guards walked up the steps to him. Gaara smiled and nodded.
"Lady Ino…" He muttered.
Ino smiled again, bowing her head slightly.
"My lord Gaara…" She said in a soft, crisp voice.
Hiashi stepped forward next to Gaara.
"Lady Ino, " He said and smiled, kissing her hand, "At last we can make arrangements!"
Gaara and Ino both smiled uneasily, but both nodded.
"Shall we?" Hiashi said, and without waiting for an answer, ushered both of them into the Palace.
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Gaara fell back on his bed with a long sigh, stressed at the long day of planning. He wished he could at least have a little say on what was going on. Everything was pretty much being planned by Hiashi and the other advisors, only a few questions being directed at Gaara and Ino throughout the day, but that didn't stop the constant dragging around that had been done to Gaara. Another sigh escaped Gaara as he sat up.
"So the system screws even you, Prince of Suna….." came an unfamiliar voice.
Gaara jumped, grabbing his blade. Swinging it in the direction of the voice, it was met by a clang and a flare of sparks. It was the pink haired woman, crouched on his windowsill and holding a dagger. Gaara relented when he saw her face. The woman twirled the dagger, sheathing it in a small holster at her hip.
"Don't worry, I'm not here to kill you…." She said.
Gaara sheathed the sword, sitting it back on his bed. He sat captivated for a moment, and then shook his head.
"Why are you here?"
The woman shrugged, propping her back against the frame of the window.
"To thank you for your… help…." She said, glancing at him, "And to admire how much even the Prince is pushed around by the government…."
Gaara rubbed the back of his head, sighing.
"Everything's fine…. Hiashi has everything 'under control'…" He said, "Arranged or not, this is for the good of Suna…"
He suddenly looked up.
"Why am I telling you this?"
The woman grinned.
"Because I'm a complete stranger…." She said, "As it is, I suppose I am in your debt…"
Gaara shook his head.
"No, I refuse…"
The woman cocked her head to the side.
"That doesn't change the fact that I owe you…."
She looked up suddenly, a smile curling her lips slightly.
"It seems that your betrothed is here… I bid you farewell…. Until next time…"
Without another sound, she flipped backwards out the window, and was gone. Not a moment later, there was a small knock on the door. Gaara quickly stood.
"Come in," he said.
The door opened, revealing a nervous looking Ino. She was no longer wearing the long, extravagant dress from her arrival, but rather a simpler one, her hair down and unadorned. A timid smiled crept on her lips.
"Good evening," she said, scanning the room, "Um, was someone here? I thought that I heard voices…"
Gaara quickly shook his head. He smiled nervously.
"Is there something you need?"
Ino stepped forward, taking Gaara's hands into her small, delicate ones.
"My lord… Gaara…" she started, "Do you feel at all… uneasy about this whole thing?"
She looked earnestly into his eyes. Gaara cleared his throat.
"I don't know… I feel weird, but… But it's probably just normal pre-wedding feeling I guess… Why?"
Ino lowered her eyes.
"I guess you're right… I just feel weird…"
She shook her head and smiled.
"Let's make this unforgettable, ok?"
She stood up on her tiptoes, kissing his softly on the cheek.
"Goodnight…"
With that, she left the room, only the scent of her perfume lingering. Gaara stood there, the weight of the upcoming events beginning to weigh in on him.
