Chapter Four: Meow to meet you
I woke up and found her sleeping next to me. I felt happy that I made her mine last night and I was happy that she wanted to same thing. I smoothed her cheeks while she let out a smile in her sleep. So this is how love feels like? I mean love from other person that is not related to you. It was a strange feeling yet I felt complete with it. I kissed her forehead and moved away from her. I then walked to the bathroom and refresh myself. Then there was a knock at the door. "Come in…" Temari entered the room and when she found Ashley on the bed, she let out a sigh. "Is there something wrong Temari?"
"I thought something bad happened to Ashley since she wasn't in her room. I was so worried." Temeri said, walking towards the bed. She sat beside her and smoothed her cat ear. Ashley let out a purr.
"She couldn't sleep so I let her sleep with me." I replied. "Don't worry, I didn't do anything."
"I know…" Temari said, smiling. "Hey Gaara, I was wondering if I can take Ashley to meet the other girls or maybe meet our friends."
"Well, I am going to be very busy plus during the afternoon, I have to introduce Ashley to the Kages after my briefing." I replied. "So yeah, you can take her. It would be good for her. She needs to meet new people and make new friends."
"Is it alright if I can call her your lover?" Temari asked. I paused for a brief moment. It is weird. Me? Having a lover? Who would have thought I will have a lover? "Is there something wrong?"
"No, it's nothing. I already confessed to Ashley last night so yeah you can call her that." I replied.
"WHAT?!" Temari screamed. "YOU CONFESSED TO HER?!"
"Shhh… You are going to wake her up." I said. Then Kankurou entered my room. "Great…"
"What is going on? I heard Temari screaming." Kankurou said.
"Gaara confessed to Ashley last night and now they are dating." Temari said, smiling.
"WHAT THE HELL?! REALLY!" Kankurou screamed.
"Again, you are going to wake her up." I said, letting out a sigh. Then I found my lover stirring in the bed sheets. She then wiggled her nose and let out a yawn.
"Meow…" She lightly yawned. She opened her eyes and found them staring at her. She was wearing a night gown with the charm that I gave her. "Good morning…"
"Ashley, did you sleep well?" Temari said.
"Yes Big Sister, I did." Ashley said, smiling. She cuddled in Temari's embrace. "But I am a little sleepy though."
"I was going to take you to meet my friends but I see you are pretty tired." Temari said. "Oh well, I can go by myself." Ashley head shot up to her.
"Really? I am going to meet your friends?" She asked.
"Of course, they really want to meet you." Temari said. "So after breakfast, let's go have some fun."
"YEAH FUN!" Ashley cheered. Kankurou and I smiled when we watched Temari and Ashley cheering.
"She blends in our family very well." Kankurou said.
"Yeah…" I replied.
After breakfast, Temari pulled Ashley into her room to dress her up. Kankurou and I were sitting in the living room silently. I was going through paperwork while he was staring at the door. "Hey Gaara, do you think that the Council in the Sand Village would accept Ashley?"
"I have already sent a letter to them and they want to see Ashley for themselves." I said. "So it is up to Ashley to convince them."
"But they are hard to convince."
"I know…" I said, letting out a sigh. "But I know that Ashley will do her best." Then the door opened and Temari came out first.
"Come out Ashley, there is nothing to be shy about." Temari said. "You look cute."
"Are you sure?"
"Of course you do…" Temari said. "So please come out?" Ashley walked out the room in baby blue dress with black tights and brown boots. Her hair hung beautifully and a cute hat covered her ears. She was wearing my charm and it made me blush even more.
"Whoa…" Kankurou and I said together, staring and blushing at her.
"You lucky bastard…" Kankurou said, elbowing me lightly on the shoulder. I was speechless. She was so breathtaking.
"Do I look okay?" Ashley said shyly. "I feel weird wearing this."
"You look great my Kitten." Kankurou said, smiling.
"Yeah, you look great…" I said, blushing. She smiled and raced into my embraced. She then purred.
"I am just too excited." Ashley said. "I can't wait to meet new people."
"Well, if you are going to meet new people. You have to be yourself." I said, taking off the hat. "I love you for you and I know that our friends would love you as well."
"So I don't need to hide?" She asked.
"No more hiding." I replied. I kissed her forehead. "I will see you later. Have fun…"
Ashley stayed close to Temari as they walked through the streets of the Leaf Village. Everyone was staring at them as they passed. I knew this would happen. I hope it doesn't go bad. She turned to Ashley and found her as a nervous wreck. She grabbed her hand and smiled. "Don't worry Ashley, I won't let anyone hurt you."
"Okay…" She replied.
"Hey Temari…" Shikamaru said, walking towards them. "I see that Ashley is with you."
"I am going to introduce her to the girls." Temari said. "Ashley, you remember Shikamaru."
"Hi Pineapple Head, how are you?" She said, smiling.
"I am doing well Ash." Shikamaru said, letting out a sigh. I am Pineapple Head for life to her.
"Big Sister told me that she loves you a lot." Ashley said. Temari blushed in front of him. Shikamaru was shocked to hear this yet he let out a smile. "She said even when you are such a lazy ass, she still cares for you."
"Really now…" Shikamaru said, patting her head. She purred when his hand moved to her ear. "Can you tell her that I love her a lot? Also, I may be a lazy ass but I would go out in my way to make her love me more. Can you tell her that for me please?" Temari blushed even more when she heard that.
"Okay, I will…" Ashley said, giggling. Shikamaru then grabbed Temari's hand and kissed it lightly.
"I would see you later my troublesome woman." Shikamaru said, giving her a wink.
"You too my lazy ass…" She replied. Shikamaru left them and she let out a sigh.
"I like him. He is perfect for you." Ashley said.
"Really? Why?" Temari asked, blushing.
"I can hear both of your heartbeats and they seem to go in the same rhythm when you guys are together." Ashley said. "It is like music." Temari let out a giggle.
"Oh Ashley, you can be very cute." Temari said. They made their way to the restaurant where the girls were waiting for her.
"TEMARI, YOU ARE FINALLY HERE!" Ino screamed. "You took your time and that must be Ashley."
"Yes it is. Ashley, these are my friends." Temari said. "The screaming lunatic is Ino."
"I am not a lunatic…" Ino snapped. Ashley hid behind Temari. "Hey there, you don't need to be shy. We won't bite."
"Ino, you scared the poor thing." Sakura said, walking towards her and offering her hand. "Hi there, my name is Sakura. I hope we can be friends." Ashley slowly came out behind Temari and grabbed her hand.
"Pinky…" Ashley said, blushing. "You have pretty hair Pinky."
"Pinky?" Sakura said.
"Oh Ashley has a thing of nicknaming people so I am Big Sister so I guess you are Pinky." Temari said.
"I see… Thanks Ashley for liking my hair." Sakura said, smiling. "Do you want to sit next to me?"
"Okay…" Ashley said, shyly. She walked with Sakura to the table hand in hand and they sat beside each other. Temari sat on the opposite side of her, beside Ino.
"I see she likes you Sakura." Temari said, smiling.
"I like her too." Sakura said. "She is so adorable."
"Well, let's introduce ourselves…. Hey Ashley, my name is Tenten." Tenten said, offering her hand. Ashley grabbed it but she swiftly pulled it always when she felt something sharp on her sleeve. "Oh sorry, I forgot I put that there." She pulled out a kunai out of her sleeve and offered her hand to her once more. Ashley shook her hand and smiled.
"Kunai, nice to meet you…" Ashley said, smiling.
"I guess that is your nickname." Ino teased.
"Kunai… I love it." Tenten said, smiling.
"My name is Hinata…" Hinata said shyly.
"Pretty eyes… Violet…" Ashley said, staring into her eyes. The girls giggled with her expression.
"So Pinky is Sakura, Kunai is Tenten, Violet is Hinata… Wait, why does she call you Big Sister Temari?" Karui asked.
"Oh, that's simple… She is Gaara's lover." Temari said, giving them a wink. "She might be my sister in law."
"WHAT?! GAARA'S LOVER?!" They all screamed. Ashley cuddled Sakura and Sakura calmed down from her shock demeanor and smoothed her head.
"You got to be kidding me." Karui said.
"Gaara is with her." Ino said.
"Pinky, Blondie and Red are very loud." Ashley said.
"Don't worry Ashley, they are always like that. They are not mad at you." Sakura said, smiling.
"Are you sure?" Ashley asked.
"I am very sure." Sakura said.
"I am sorry Ashley, it is just that I never saw Gaara as the type of person to love someone." Ino said.
"Gaara seems like that but he has a lot of heart." Ashley said, smiling. "And when he shares his heart to someone, you are going to be drenched with his endless love." Everyone paused when they heard that. She smoothed the charm and giggled. "I am very lucky to have him and I don't want to leave his side."
"Then let's celebrate." Ino said. "Let's celebrate the newest member of our group."
"YEAH!" The other screamed.
After a few hours, I needed to pick up Ashley so she can meet the Kages. I walked through the streets of the Leaf Village and I stopped when I felt someone grabbing my shoulder. I turned and found Naruto. "Hey Gaara, it has been awhile."
"It sure has…" I replied.
"So where are you heading?" He asked, smiling.
"I am looking for someone." I replied.
"Someone? Are we talking about a girl?" He asked. I continued on walking without answering his question. "IT IS A GIRL!" He raced to my side once more. "Come on Gaara, speak to me."
"You can be very noisy Naruto." I said.
"Come on, it has to be a girl." He said. He wasn't giving up and I wasn't giving in. It felt familiar though. I let out a sigh.
"Naruto, why do you want to know?" I asked.
"Well, for starters I have never seen you with another girl besides your sister." Naruto said. "Plus, you are such a busy man that love never came to mind."
"So you are worried about me?" I asked.
"Well yeah…" Naruto asked. "We are getting to that age that we are supposed to get hitched and something like that."
"I don't see a ring on your finger."
"But I will…" He said. "So tell me who it is?" We walked into the restaurant and there she was, chatting away with the other girls. Ashley turned her gaze to me and smiled.
"GAARA!" She screamed, racing towards my embrace and hugging me tightly. Everyone in the restaurant was staring at us which I didn't care.
"Did you have fun today Ashley?" I asked.
"Yes I did, I made a lot of new friends." Ashley replied.
"I am glad that you are having so much fun." I said, kissing her forehead.
"AWWW, HOW CUTE!" The girls screamed.
"Whoa, who is this?" Naruto asked.
"Naruto, this is Ashley, my lover." I explained.
I can't believe Gaara has a lover. Back then he was a bloodthirsty killer but now, he is a loving leader and he might be a husband. I guess people do change. Naruto thought, staring at the beautiful creature with shock. She hid behind me.
"Ashley, there is nothing to be afraid of. This is Naruto, he is a friend and he won't hurt you." I said.
"He is friend?" She said shyly.
"Yes so please come out." Naturo said, smiling. She moved away from me and Naruto paused once more. She was cute I have to admit. She had long wavy blue hair with cat ears and tail. "Hi there, my name is Naruto Uzumaki. What is your name?"
"Ashley…"
"Ashley… What a cute name…" Naruto said. "Can I call you Blue?"
"Okay Whiskers…" She replied. Naruto then let out a chuckle.
"You are not bad at all." I said.
"Don't make a move on her Naruto. She is already taken." Temari warned.
"Come on, I wasn't flirting with her." Naruto said. "Yeah she is cute and all but I wasn't going to make her my girlfriend. I already have one right Hinata." Hinata blushed when she heard that. He then patted Ashley's head. "Wow, this little cutie belongs to Gaara. I just can't believe it." It is surprising how life starts out shitty and then turns out like a dream. Gaara, I am happy for you buddy.
"Why is it hard to believe?" I said, letting out a sigh. Naruto ignored my question. He has forgotten that I was standing beside him. He grabbed her hand and cupped her face.
"Hey Blue, do me a favor?" Naruto asked.
"What is it?" Ashley said.
"We are friends now and I want you to take care of Gaara for me. He is my friend as well and I want him to be loved." Naruto said. I blushed in front of them when I heard that. "I want you to love him to death and never leave his side. Can you do that for me?"
"Oh I will Whiskers. I will never leave him." Ashley said. "I promise…"
I smiled when she said that. "Well Ashley, we have to go now. You have to meet the Kages remember?" I said.
"Oh that's right. I forgot." She said, turning to the girls. She bowed in front of them. "Thank you all for a good time. I am happy to meet you all and I am glad to be your friend."
"AWW HOW CUTE!" They screamed. Sakura walked up to her and took off a woven bracelet and wrapped it around her wrist.
"This is a friendship bracelet. It shows that we are friends." Sakura said.
"Really?" Ashley said.
"Yes, I hope I get to see you again." Sakura said.
"I want to see you too." Ashley said, hugging her. "You are very kind Pinky."
I pulled her away from the ruckus and made our way to the conference room. "Ashley, I want you to be yourself." I said.
"I have to make them like me?" She asked.
"Yes but I don't want you to work hard to please them." I replied. "Just be yourself."
"Okay…" She said. I opened the door and the Kages were already sitting on their seats, waiting for us. I sat on my seat while she stood in front of us. I was nervous and I wasn't the one that was going to speak. "Good day…"
"Oh, she is simply adorable." Mizukage said.
"She is a fine beauty." Tsuchikage added. "Even with her feline features, she is very beautiful."
"So tell me child, what is your name?" Raikage asked.
"My name is Ashley. Gaara named me. I didn't have a name before I met him." Ashley answered.
"I see, do you know who are you talking to?" He asked.
"Yes Muscle Man, I am in front of the Kages. I was assigned to kill you all from a man named Lord Volk. Sadly, I couldn't." She replied.
"Muscle Man?" Raikage said.
"She has a habit of nicknaming people." I explained.
"I see…" The Hokage asked. "So tell us Ashley why didn't you kill us?"
"I was fascinated with life Half Face. I was created in the lab and I never once experience a life of happiness." Ashley said. "I have watched you all and I was envious."
"I see… Lord Kazekage told us all about you." Tsuchikage said. "And he wants us to give you a chance instead of deposing you. Should we trust you?"
"I don't know Mustache, it is for you to decide but as long I am with Gaara, I would never stray to darkness because he is my light." Ashley said. I blushed when I heard that. I was her light? Me? I was lost for words and my heart skipped a beat. "As long I am with him, I will never destroy his happiness and anyone else's."
"Lord Kazekage told me that you couldn't utter a word but now you are a poet. He taught you well." Mizukage said.
"He taught me many things Lovely even his siblings." Ashley said. "And if you let me, I want them to teach me more about life and happiness. I have lived in a lab for so long and it is good to get out of it."
"I think we have reached our decision." Lord Hokage said. "Ashley, you will stay with Gaara as long you shall live and abide by the rules. We would do a monthly check up on you."
"You have convinced us that you are not harmless." Raikage said.
"You are but a child." Tsuchikage said.
"And as adults, we must teach other children the proper way to live a life." Mizukage added.
"Thank you…" Ashley said, bowing in front them. "That is all I want, to stay by his side."
"Also…" Mizukage said, standing up from her seat and walking towards her. She stared at her for a brief moment and I was worried. Does Mizukage have second thoughts about her? Mizukage then hugged her tightly. "YOU ARE PERFECT FOR MY LITTLE KAZEKAGE!" I let out a sigh while I watched my poor kitty getting crushed by her.
"Meow…" Ashley said, giggling.
"OH, I WISH I CAN TAKE YOU HOME!" She screamed. Tsuchikage let out a chuckle along with Raikage while the Hokage, well is hard to tell if Kakashi was smiling but I have a feeling he was. At this moment, I had no worries that the Council will refuse her.