*Chapter Two. A Phone Call from Far Away Can be Hard.*
Groaning softly, Fang opened her eyes and frowned when she sees herself on her bed. Her blue green eyes blinked open in the soft light of her room. The curtains that she had put up when she first moved in managed to block the majority of the light, keeping the room dimly lit. The brunette looked up at the ceiling. 'Okay, I remember waking up, going on the roof, and that's about it; which means I fell asleep sometime while we were on the roof,' she sighed and sat up.
The first thing she noticed was her empty bed, which meant Gaara already left to do Kage business. The thought of that made her frown a little but it quickly turned into a look of confusion when a low beeping sound came from underneath her bed. 'What's that?'
The beeping continued and the curious teen rolled over, looking below the bed. She lifted the thin dark blue blankets and Fang rolled her eyes. She picked up her cell phone, flipping it open and scanning the screen. "Great, Vanille called," She muttered to herself as she presses the call-back button and placed the phone to her ear.
The phone rang a couple times before her sister picked up. "Fang?" Vanille's voice asked, sounding like she was out of breath.
"Yeah, it's me. Vanille, are you alright?" Fang asked worriedly, noting something in her older sister's voice.
"Of course I'm alright! Why wouldn't I be alright? I just want to talk to my sister who I haven't seen in almost three months!" Vanille answered back quickly, which made Fang raise an eyebrow.
Silence followed suit for a few seconds before Vanille started talking a million miles a second, barely letting Fang catch the gist of what she was saying. Fang pulled the phone away from her ear and grimaced. 'She's been hanging out with Naruto again.' "Whoa, slow down Vanille, I can't understand you!" Fang scolded her sister. 'Who gave her the sugar this early?'
"Can you come to Konoha?" her sister asked breathlessly. "I need to tell you something and I don't want to do it over the phone."
Fang paused abruptly at her sister's request and nodded. "Yeah, I'll be there in a few days. Bye Vanille."
"Bye, Fang! I love you!" the hyper girl said before she hung up.
Fang closed her phone, her eyebrows knitted in worry. 'What's so important that it has to be told face-to-face?' she shook her head and hoped Gaara wouldn't mind if she left for the neighboring village that day. Because she was going whether he liked it or not, though it would be a whole lot easier if he accepted it…
Sabaku-no-Gaara was not a weak man, he was feared, he did not let meager things get to him, and he certainly didn't let those things slow him down…
'If I see one more piece of paper I'm going to kill something,' the red-head thought darkly. Gaara sighed and leaned back, rubbing his hand against his face. 'Maybe a few minutes break will help a little…' He rested against his chair and closed his eyes, allowing his mind to wonder a little. Ever since Fang and he had started dating he had been getting better at controlling his mind. He could now even think of good things and not have to worry about bad memories interrupting them all the time. He smiled to himself and took a deep breath.
"Alright! I'll give you brats an hour and a half to relax and eat! We'll start again at exactly eleven!" Tsunade yelled to the actors and actresses. It was only their first week of practice and Tsunade already decided that they were in need of weekend practices that went from eight in the afternoon to twelve in the morning. To say that some teens were annoyed would be an understatement.
Naruto, who was standing beside Gaara, groaned and placed his hand over his stomach. "Kami-samma, I need ramen!"
Gaara just blinked at his friend, wondering how it was possible one person could eat so much of the same thing and never get tired of it. Then he remembered that it was Naruto and to never put anything past the Kyuubi vessel. He found himself repressing an eye roll as the blonde reached into his bag and pulled out some instant ramen then ran off, stating that he had to find a microwave.
The Kazekage crossed his arms and glanced around, his eyes catching a movement on the other side of the stage. Fang, Vanille, and Snow were sitting down, all of them looking tired. Snow had already rested his head on the tall brunette's shoulder and closed his eyes while Vanille was yawning.
"Fang, can I?" the pig-tailed teen asked her younger sister.
Fang nodded her head and shifted a little as her sister lied down, placing her head in the taller teen's lap and closing her eyes. Gaara watched as the brunette leaned back against the wall and let her eyes close softly.
She looked so different than she usually did. Instead of her normal aura that seemed to radiate her 'I don't care what the fuck you think about me' attitude it now seemed to calm. He watched as her hands deftly ran through her sister's hair while the teen relaxed in her lap. Before he could stop himself, he began wondering what it felt like to have her fingers in his hair.
He blinked in shock, even though it didn't register to his face. Where did that come from?
Fang sighed quietly, letting her usual smirk and irritating attitude drop. She looked so different…
He continued to watch, not even noticing that he was staring, when Fang re-opened her eyes and looked directly at him. He blinked and she blinked back, both of them now openly staring at each other. Then a soft smile tugged at Fang's lips and she closed her eyes once more.
His face remained impassive but his mind was reeling. Did she just smile at him? It wasn't that sarcastic one that she usually shot at people, but it seemed …genuine…
Gaara repressed the urge to shake his head and he looked away, only to glance back at the teen a few seconds later.
His eyes swept across her face, taking in her appearance. He couldn't deny that she was pretty, maybe even attractive. She had dark, wavy hair that was relatively long and bangs that brushed across her eyes. He didn't know why, but sometimes her eyes unnerved him. They made him feel like she was analyzing everything, including him.
He had caught her staring at him a few times while at practice, but he couldn't say anything against that seeing that he was staring at her, too. Gaara didn't really know what had gotten into him lately. It seemed that ever since he saved her from Deidara she continuously interrupted his thoughts. He found himself thinking about her, wondering what was going through her mind.
Gaara also began to notice how she dressed, always in a long sleeved shirt, baggy jeans, and a hoodie. Was she hiding something? Everyday she'd wear that, no matter how hot it was. He also would catch her spacing out, obviously thinking very deeply about something…Like how he was spacing out while thinking about her.
Gaara opened his eyes, blinking. 'That's when I realized I liked her...' From that day on he watched as the teen continued to live, he was always watching over her whether she knew it or not. Every night when Fang went for those walks he was there in the trees, making sure nothing happened to her.
It was just dumb luck that they started talking at the party and that he started to answer her questions. Gaara wasn't stupid. He knew that if he ever wanted answers he was going to have to give some first…
It wasn't dumb luck however when during Snow's game that the bottle ended on Fang. He didn't think anyone noticed when barely a wisp of sand guided the bottle to the distracted girl, but after the fact Naruto kept giving him knowing looks…
Well, that may be because he let his lips wander on hers for longer than what was necessary.
A small smile crossed his lips and he shook his head. It still amazed him how much Fang had affected him. Never before had he cared about someone quite so much, so much that he honestly believed she would be the death of him if something happened.
He couldn't begin to explain his rage and sadness he felt when she finally told him her story or when that bastard went after her again. Gaara knew that even though she never said anything, it still haunted her. He could see it when she looked at other teens their age, saw the way she frowned when she noticed their un-marred skin. It hurt, but he also noticed that those scars were slowly healing. The last time he saw them they were barely visible, but, he also knew that those scars weren't just skin-deep.
That was why they've been taking everything slow. All that either of them needed for the time being was someone to talk to and confide in. Sure, they've kissed, but it had never really been more than chaste ones. He didn't want to hurt her; that was the last thing he wanted to do.
A gentle knock at the door pulled Gaara away from his musings and he blinked. He looked up from his desk, standing. He walked quickly over to the door and opened it, only to be greeted by the one girl that he was thinking about.
"Hey," Fang said as she walked in. "You're not busy, are you?"
"I'm Kazekage, Fang. Of course I am," he replied, smiling softly. "What brought you here?"
The brunette walked over to his desk, placing her hands against the wood as she leaned back against it. "I'm leaving for Konoha today," she said simply.
Gaara blinked. 'What?' he thought as he looked at her. Fang just stared back, a sense of tenacity in her stance. Most people would think it was arrogance, but he knew that she was really incredibly stubborn and unreasonable at times.
The Kazekage glanced down, noticing her bag that she had carried in with her. "Today?" he mumbled, running a hand through his hair.
Fang nodded. "Yeah, Vanille called and said that she has to tell me something. She didn't want to tell me over the phone..." she trailed off, looking up at him.
His stomach was tightening in a knot, a feeling of slight dread washed over him as his inner Gaara began thinking up ways of telling her that she shouldn't go. He was about to voice why she shouldn't when he remembered that it had been months since Fang had seen her family. That and if he said no then she'd still find a way there, especially if it involved Vanille.
He looked back up to see Fang watching him intently. "Alright…" he answered quietly.
Fang's eyes filled with relief as she pushed off of the desk and stepped closer, her arms coming up to wrap around Kazekage. "I'll be back in about a week. If it's longer I'll send a message, okay?"
"Okay," he wrapped his arms around her waist, hugging her quickly as he kissed her forehead softly, whispering, "Be careful."
She nodded. "I will be. Plus, I'm always careful," she added in a joking tone.
Gaara shook his head softly, releasing her reluctantly. 'Yeah, as careful as Naruto.'
Fang smiled slightly. "Take care of yourself, Gaara," she said before she grabbed her bag and walked out of his office.
Gaara sighed softly as he watched her leave. When he could no longer see her he closed the door and walked back behind his desk .He narrowed his eyes, shifting through the mounds of paperwork on his desk. 'It never stops growing…'
"Kazekage-sama?" Baki asked, bowing as he entered the room.
"Yes?" He questioned, not looking up from the piles of papers.
"I have the reports you wanted," the sensei answered, setting the reports on a free space on the crowded desk.
Gaara nodded at his old sensei. "Thank you."
Baki stood in front of him. "It seems they're getting closer, sir."
The Kazekage picked up the report, quickly scanning through it. "So I see..." Gaara lifted his head and looked at the man, an idea formed in his head. "Baki, can I ask a personal favor of you?"
"Of course." He answered, not thinking twice about his answer.
The red head nodded. "Fang plans on leaving for Konoha today. Alone. I want you to shadow her to the border."
Baki blinked. "You want me to follow her to make sure nothing happens to her."
"Correct."
The jounin sighed. "Gaara. As an advisor, I'd say no. But, as your family friend, I will do it. Are you sure she won't be upset?" Baki questioned.
"She will be. She'll just have to live with it." Gaara said rather bluntly, adopting Fang's own attitude when it came to telling what he wanted.
Baki chuckled, shaking his head. "I never thought I'd be around long enough to see you like this." He bowed, opening the door.
"To see what?" Gaara asked, glancing up as the sensei exited his office.
"You actually happy." He closed the door behind him, heading down the long corridor.
Gaara shook his head, flipping the report open again. "I never thought I'd see it either, Baki," he muttered, scanning over the charts.
