In the morning Kumi did not go to her usual spot, and instead went elsewhere. For the first few days she went to this spot the watchful eyes were not on her, but when she left her home one fateful morning to begin her stroll the young woman could feel the eyes boring into her. Trying to keep calm she went to the maze like place she had been going to for the past few days, and as fast as she could she darted behind the rocks to try conceal herself.
Peeping out she fidgeted with the wall behind her, her face remaining crinkled up as she waited for them to show up. After a good fifteen minutes Kumi relaxed, it seemed they were smarter than that. Pushing herself off the wall to go out she practically jumped out of her skin when she almost got seen by her stalker, her body darting backwards as she clawed her way up the wall and tried to hold her breath.
Attempting to compose herself she quickly darted further into the caves, while she could sense they were following her inside just as she had hoped. Leaping up into the darker recesses of the cave Kumi waited patiently, her body pressed against the nearby stalactites as she waited. Eventually someone came through the cave mouth, and began to wander further towards the back of the cave. They stopped once they found it was a dead-end though, and that was when she pounced.
"Got you!" she bleated, lunging for them.
Colliding with something hard and rough Kumi grunted and grit her teeth as she made a stupid face, her body remaining sprawled out in the air until she slipped off and hit the ground. Laying on her back she rolled about for a moment, her hands clutching her face as she moaned in pain. Finally getting over the initial shock she soon spread her fingers and peeped through them, her hands moving away completely when she realised who it was.
She stared at him for a moment, rather confused by the whole thing and then frowned. It seemed she was right, he was the one creeping about.
"Gaara! You're the one that's been stalking me?" she asked, rolling forward so she could sit on her ass and stare up at him. As always he did not say anything though, his infamous stare and crossed arms being about the only thing he did. "Why?" she asked, getting up to shake the sand off of herself.
"What makes you think it was me?" he finally asked, while she just rolled her eyes a little.
"Do you normally come sit in a cave?" she enquired, raising her eyebrow and giving him a look that said 'really?'
Unsurprisingly he did not say anything in response, while she simply gave him a placid look.
"So, why are you following me about?" Kumi questioned, leaning forward to give him a curious look.
"You were acting suspicious." he responded, while she just flattened her lips and put an arm around his neck to poke his cheek softly.
"L-i-a-r." she spelled out, grinning a little.
At least he was not in such a mood that he would bury her in sand for touching him, but she knew if she pushed him too far he would start to get irritated.
"Well, whatever the reason is you don't need to stalk me, you know. You can just sit and talk to me, I don't bite." she assured him, scuffing the back of his head. "Well, not often." she teased in a joking manner, her arm slipping away from him.
"I see." he simply responded, watching her go sit down on a rock.
"Just don't tell anyone about this place, it's rare to find a place where I can be alone." she sighed, leaning back.
"You're always alone." he commented, while she just tutted.
"That's the point, I don't want to have to share with anyone." she explained, getting comfy. "You can chill with me though, I like you." she added, putting her hands behind her head. "Even if you did throw a strop when were younger over that bear." she mumbled.
"You're still angry about that?" Gaara asked, while she just pouted.
"Of course not, it was a silly misunderstanding." she stated bluntly, shrugging.
Examining her Gaara gave her a strange expression, something churning through his mind which made his eyes shift a tad.
"What about the scar?" he asked, while she simply touched the thick scar which marred her skin.
"It's not like you did it on purpose." Kumi uttered, observing him. "I would have done the same thing if I jumped to the conclusion that someone had gone behind my back." she explained, shutting her eyes completely.
"You're honestly not angry at all? You're not afraid of me?" he asked, narrowing his gaze.
"I wasn't afraid of you then, why would I be scared of you now? You put me on edge occasionally, but you're still that whiney brat that wouldn't stick up for himself." the Senju spoke, opening her eyes to peer up at him when he loomed over her.
Staring at each other for a moment Kumi shifted forward slowly, watching him carefully as she stood up. He remained where he was though, forcing her to slide up him and stand inches from him, nose to nose. From where they were standing they could both feel the unfamiliar presence of air rushing over their skin when they breathed.
They remained there for a good minute, just staring at each other, both too stubborn to move out of one another's personal space bubble.
"Has anyone ever told you you have nice eyes." she enquired, not having much else to really look at.
"No." he answered, while she tilted her head a little. Kumi supposed no one had gotten this close to him before, at least not long enough to really have a good look at him, and anyone who was close enough to examine him was probably not alive long enough to give it a second thought.
It was probably a dangerous game to entertain herself with at any rate, as she knew well enough he did not like anyone coming this close to him. To his credit Gaara was taking it all in stride though, as he had not twitched, frowned or moved a single muscle on his face just yet. Yet.
"You should try smiling, I'm sure you're actually quite the ladies man." Kumi then uttered, lifting her hands to put both her index fingers to either corner of his mouth. From there she gently pushed his lips into a slight smile, though it did not reach his eyes.
Letting his face relax again Kumi tried to put her hands back down, only to glance towards her shirt. That was why he was not moving, the belt that held his gourd on was stuck to her, essentially attaching them to one another.
"You could have said something." she told him off, fiddling with the fabric until she stiffened and suddenly shoved herself against him. Wrapping her arms around him she grabbed onto his gourd tightly, a look of panic coming over her as she tried to keep it from falling.
Gaara on the other hand had tensed up at this point, his head turning slightly to look at the shell of her ear.
"Don't move." she stated firmly, trying to figure out how to attach it back to his clothes again without letting go of the gourd. Ignoring her Gaara shifted his arms between them to fix his belt, while Kumi just flinched in surprise when his knuckles bumped off the underside of her chest. "Stop that, you pervert." she protested, squinting her face with embarrassment.
"You can let me go now." he uttered plainly, while she let go of his gourd and pulled away quickly. "Why am I the pervert?" he then enquired, not quite sure where her sudden outburst had came from.
"Never mind." she soon responded, realising he had not particularly notice he had molested her chest in the midst of trying to fix his clothes.
Huffing Kumi slid away from him, her cheeks still red as she gave the wall on the other side of the cave a lopsided expression. This guy was hopeless sometimes. Turning to look at him again the young woman changed her expression when he gave her a strange look, her curved mouth opening a little.
"What?" she asked gingerly, while he let his expression drop back to its usual plain one.
"I have to go now." he informed her, turning to leave.
"Okay." she uttered, watching him for a moment. "You know, it was nice talking to you again. Even if you don't say much." she called, but he did not seem that interested and left. Pouting she shook her head and sighed, her eyes peering down at the hand print on her chest. She should have asked him about that.
Despite putting a few things to bed Kumi had not seen him after that, but she knew he was still watching her from afar. Mumbling to herself the young woman stared at her breakfast table with a tired look on her face, a bit of toast hanging from her mouth as she slowly turned to look at the weather outside. For once she did not feel like going outside, and so she just sat about the house, a cold glass of water perched on the coffee table as she sat reading quietly.
For a good week she remained like this, only really going out to get groceries or more reading material. When she was out she could feel Gaara's presence, as always, but it felt different somehow. It felt almost like a longing stare, though she brushed it off, it would be unlike that sand-nin to have a train of thought like that.
Back in her home Kumi shook of the thoughts running through her head and went back to painting onto the canvas before her, her hand shifting a stray strand of hair away from her forehead when it fell from the bandana wrapped around her temple. Hearing something at her window she casually turned her head, every hair on her body shooting up when she found Gaara was now in her house.
"You could have knocked." she told him off, relaxing as she turned to look at her painting. "Dang." she grunted, trying to fix the smudge of colour that had hit the page where it should not have been.
"This is what you've been doing?" he asked, observing the painting.
"I didn't feel much like going out these past few days." she sighed, motioning for him to sit down and make himself comfy.
Having to remove his gourd he put it down and went to sit on the single-seated chair nearest to her, his sea-foam blue eyes observing her as she just sat happily painting away.
"Did you miss me or something?" she enquired, hitching her brow as she added the finishing touches and put the paint brush into the pot of water.
"How would you describe such a thing?" Gaara asked, watching her put the painting near a wall out of the way to dry.
"Well, it's like anything. You miss them, and you want to see them. When you don't see them you feel a bit sad. Surely you remember such a feeling from when you were little?" she described, glancing over at him.
"Not really." he responded, shifting in his seat.
Humming she glanced to her kitchen door when she heard the buzzer on the counter ding.
"Sounds like dinner is ready, I'm having your favourite actually." she spoke, smiling at him for a moment.
"You know what my favourite food is?" the sand-nin asked, standing up to follow her into the kitchen.
"Sure, I remember a lot about you." Kumi spoke, grinning brightly. "We were friends for ages when you were little, I'm sure you've not changed all that much." she added, pulling out a kitchen chair as she went by for him to sit down on.
Like before Gaara seemed to give her an odd look as she went around the kitchen preparing for dinner, though he was far more interested in her cooking once she put it in front of him.
"I hope you like it, I've been trying different spices." she uttered, sitting down to eat on the opposite side of him. Taking in a fork full the sand-nin seemed to brighten up a little, producing an almost sweet expression, the very sight made her pause to watch him.
"What?" he asked, realising she was watching him with a dopy expression.
"Nothing, nothing." she quickly responded, flicking her head down to stick some of her food into her mouth with a small blush.
Letting it slide Gaara slowly went back to eating, the dinner table becoming quiet. In an attempt to find something to talk about Kumi had been pondering away to herself as she ate, a thought coming over her.
"I noticed you were growing cacti." she spoke, while he simply glanced up at her. "They're nice, I liked the flowers." she explained, producing one from her pocket. "I only noticed because one of the flowers came off and landed on my shoulder, I was so surprised since you don't normally see such pretty things in the sand village." she went on to say, rolling the bud she had dipped in a preserving liquid to keep its shape and colour between her fingers.
Examining the flower Gaara could almost describe the feeling in the pit of his stomach as a sense of awkwardness, he had not anticipated for anyone to come across his cacti, let alone Kumi of all people.
"You like cacti?" he asked, while she just peeped up at him.
"Ah, well, I've never really had a chance to look at them. They have their own little personality underneath their prickly thorns I think." she murmured, smiling. "A bit like you, actually." the silver haired woman commented, laughing gently at the thought.
"You think so?" Gaara enquired, giving her a scrutinising glance.
"Well, sure. You have your similarities, but if you could grow flowers on top of your head I would think you really were a cactus." she giggled, a small blush coming over her cheeks.
Again Gaara was met with an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach, one he could not associate with anything he had felt recently, but he was certain he had felt it once before.
"If you're done we can go through and watch the television if you want." Kumi offered, standing up to put her plate in the sink to soak. Taking his as well she put it into the water and then followed him through to the living room, where they plonked themselves down on the large sofa and got comfortable. It had probably been a while since Gaara had been able to sit in someone else's presence and feel remotely comfortable. In all honesty it was nice to be able to relax and enjoy someone's company for once, even if she made him strangely uncomfortable at times.
Leaning back they watched the television for a few hours, Kumi's features loosening as she slipped to the side and ended up falling asleep up against Gaara's side. Resting her head on his shoulder she took in small breaths, while the sand-nin slowly turned to look at her. Observing her face quietly Gaara glanced down at her lips, which had been left open to reveal a small gap.
Waking up Kumi hummed and lifted her head from the sofa's arm chair, her face crinkling as she rubbed her head and pulled herself up onto her hip to look around. At this point Gaara was gone, leaving her alone in the room. Sticking her tongue out Kumi went to lick her lips, a look of grimace coming over her features when she lapped up a few grains of sand. Pausing she slowly lifted her hand to touch her bottom lip, a soft blush coming over her features as she lowered her head to look at the moist sand grains on her finger tips.
In the morning Kumi had went for a walk, finally feeling a little more active and capable of wandering about outside her home. Today would be the mark of an important festival which celebrated the start of a new month, a month that would be the hottest of any other time of the year here in the sand village. Keeping her head tilted upwards Kumi remained hypnotised by the coloured banners flickering past her eyes as she walked, her eyes widening when she walked right into someone. She was not the only one who seemed shocked either, as there were a few gasps from surrounding people.
"Sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going." she uttered, tilting her head down to come nose to nose with Gaara. "Oh, hello Gaara." she spoke, taking a step backwards so she was not flush against him anymore.
"It's fine." he calmly spoke, continuing on his way while his two siblings just gave one another a bewildered glance. They had originally been on the same side as the cowering crowd, who were not quite sure how this situation was going to end.
Going about her business once more Kumi did not particularly care for the looks she was getting, but she brushed it off to have a look at the stalls. Spotting a flash of red in amongst the plants the young woman gawked at the sight laid out before her. There they were, a row of cacti, but only one seemed to stand out from the others. It was a small green cactus with a large red top, the very sight drew her over faster than she could think.
"That cactus." she spoke, gaining the sellers attention. "How much is it?" she asked, still staring at it.
"A hundred ryo." he answered, taking the money when she carelessly handed it to him and picked it up like some kind of prickly gold crown.
Having gotten it she pretty much ran home, a silly grin on her face as she put it down on a table and began to look it over.
"So pretty." she gawked, putting it with her other plants on a table in her room. Leaving her room she almost jumped out of her skin when she was met with Gaara, who just gave her an odd look.
"Are you alright?" he enquired casually, while she settled down and returned the strange look.
"Yeah." she uttered, rather surprised he had come to check on her. "I was just so happy with something I got at the fare. I must have looked like a headless chicken coming home." she uttered, rubbing her head as she laughed awkwardly.
"A little." he answered, trying to figure out if what she had bought was perhaps still on her person. Catching his searching look Kumi seemed to brighten up and, without really thinking about it, took his hand to take him to her room and show him the plant.
"I saw it and almost died." she gasped, picking it up. "Look, it's a red cactus." she stated happily, raising it a little higher to compare it to his hair.
Looking it over Gaara did not seem as amazed by it as she was, but then he had been growing cactus for a few years now, and so this was nothing new to him.
"I decided I'd call it Gaara, since it looks like you." she told him, not really contemplating what his reaction would be to such a thing.
"I see." he uttered, feeling a little amused to see just how happy she was with the cactus.
"Oh, hey." she spoke, calming down a little. "I don't know how to take care of cactus." she murmured, glancing up at the foreign plants that would not normally grow in the sand village. "Can you show me how to?" she enquired, peering at him curiously. It was anyone's guess as to how she was two years older than Gaara and sometimes acted four years younger.
"I guess so." he answered, watching her entire face brighten up considerably.
After he had explained the basics she seemed just about as enthralled as she had been at the start, her head turning to look at the plant from where they were sitting on the edge of her bed.
"It'll be the easiest plant I've ever taken care of." Kumi uttered, playing with the idea of hugging him to thank him for taking the time to help her. Trying to play it cool she smiled at him, while he just examined her as he always did. "Sorry I fell asleep yesterday, I guess I was tired." she spoke.
"I'm used to it. You're always sleeping." he spoke, while she just laughed a little at the comment.
"I guess I am." she uttered, scratching her knee. "What do you do at night to keep yourself occupied?" she asked carefully, reminded that he could not sleep.
"Train, normally. Sometimes I just watch the desert from the outskirts of the village." he answered, while Kumi silently felt a pang of thankfulness wash over her that he had not taken her question the wrong way.
"That sounds quite romantic." she uttered, leaning back on her hands so she could straighten her legs and back out. "Watching the sun set, the moon rise and then vice versa." she uttered, thinking about it for a moment. "Hey, have you ever witnessed the gates?" the silver haired woman asked curiously.
"The gates?" he asked, not quite sure what she meant.
Giving him a rather surprised look she got up off her bed and rummaged about for a book, which she took back over to the bed to show him.
"The gates are the opening of the cactus flowers, it's when all the insects and small animals feed on the nectar that is produced from all the cactus." she explained, showing him the page about it. "It only lasts an hour, just when the sun is rising and the air is only warm. After that all the flowers are supposed to whither and fall off for another year." she explained, pointing to an extract in the book she was reiterating.
"No, I've not witnessed it." he spoke, somewhat surprised he had not known about such a thing up until now.
"I've seen it." she spoke, smiling as she reminisced about it. "It was really magical, I just wish I could have taken photos of it." she sighed, flopping backwards. "I'll take you to see it next year, it's too late now." Kumi offered, lazing on her back in the shade.
Glancing away to peer at the ceiling the silver haired nin remained quiet for a moment, her lips pursing together.
"Hey, Gaara?" she asked, sitting up slowly while he just turned his head to look at her.
"Can I ask you something?" she went on to enquire, while he simply nodded a little for her to proceed. "Are you seeing anyone right now?" she questioned curiously.
"No." he simply responded, and at this point Kumi knew she had to tip-toe around the subject and get closer to the point as carefully as she could. He was not known for his friendliness or his willingness to cope with social situations, and on many accounts had killed people for sticking their nose into his busy where it was unwanted.
"Are you going to the festival tonight?" she then asked.
"I don't know." he answered. "I find no joy in the crowds." he added.
Taking aback Kumi paused, she had not taken the crowds of people into consideration.
"I was thinking of staying in myself." she uttered, taking a different course of action. "I like to watch the festival from the windows, you can see everything from here." she uttered, scooting closer to him. "Maybe you would like to come over and spend the evening with me?" she suggested, nudging his arm a little. Kumi was sure as long as she made it seem like it was his decision to come over then he would not feel discomfort or anxiety. In fact she was certain he would not even notice he was leaving his safety sand-bubble and comfort zone.
"I'll have to see." he responded, while she simply smiled a little.
"Well, have a think about it. I'm always happy to have you over for dinner and the like." she uttered, while he got up to leave.
"I should be going now." he stated, while she walked him to the front door, hoping it would encourage him to use it instead of her windows next time.
That evening Kumi had been sitting on her roof peering down at the festival, her eyes dazzled by the sights set out before her. There were colourful streamers, dancers and even costumes parading through the streets. The sight captivating her so much that she almost did not realise Gaara had appeared beside her.
"Isn't it pretty?" she asked, her mouth agape. Not particularly keen on all the hustle and bustle going on below the redhead simply remained quiet and sat down on the edge of the rooftop with her. After a short period of time Kumi soon spoke, her voice hesitant but her determination pushing her forward. "Gaara, there's something I want to ask you." she spoke, drawing out the conversation partially.
"Yes?" he asked, turning his attention away from the crowds below.
"We've been hanging out for a while now, and I was just thinking…" she drawled, ringing her hands together. "Well, I like you, and I was just wondering if you would go on a date with me?" she went on to say, daring herself to look at him carefully.
Gaara seemed to think about it for a moment, mulling over her question in his head.
"Okay." he finally answered, surprising Kumi.
"Really?" she asked in disbelief, not quite sure if he was just pulling her leg or not.
"I don't see why not." he replied plainly, watching a grin spread across her face. Trying not to cheer and fall off the edge of the building the Senju wrapped her arms around Gaara and cuddled him, still smiling away to herself happily.
Nearby Temari and Kankuro were sighing stiffly, the blonde's hand rubbing her eyelids as she took her communication device out of her ear.
"That was harder than I thought." she admitted, while her brother just seemed to look more miserable than before.
"Why don't I ever have girls chasing after me?" he grumbled, his eyebrow twitching.
"Probably because your terrible with them." she responded, just about ready for bed.