"Hey, Gaara, what do you think of Mitsumi...? Do you want to marry her? Like, at this age? Wouldn't you rather wait till you are older?"
Gaara looked up. "It isn't my decision. My guess is that even Mitsumi is being thrown into this." Gaara and I were sitting at the abandoned highway road where I had first followed him.
Today, there was a slight wind that picked up the dirt off of the streets, but I didn't mind. I could see why Gaara found it peaceful. Just staring off into the faraway trees that had surrounded themselves in fog, along with the leafs that rolled around in the wind, it was perfect.
"Can't you wait until you're older?" I asked. Being tied down at this age? Heck, I wouldn't even want to be tied down at the age of sixty.
"If it's in the best intrest of the village, I can't turn it down. Besides..." Gaara stared down at the ground. "... My father just died recently."
"D-died? H-how!?" I sat there staring in disbelief at Gaara, who appeared neutral. I couldn't tell what he was feeling, his face appeared blank.
"It's not that big of a deal... we weren't really that close, it doesn't bother me. Have I become a monster?" Gaara muttered the last question to himself. I opened my mouth to protest. He wasn't a monster! He was trying to redeem himself, he was like a child! Before I could speak, Gaara continued. "We need a new leader... and they are looking at me as a candidate."
My eyes grew wide, and a smile appeared on my face.
"Wow, Gaara! This is great, you know what this means?" I jumped up, leaning down so I could be eye level with Gaara. "They're beginning to trust you already! It's the first step to redeeming yourself! This is great news! Oh my gosh, why haven't you told me before, future Lord Kazekage!?" I continued to jump up and down, turning in circles chanting to myself that my friend was going to be they next Kazekage. A small smile appeared on Gaara's features.
"I said candidate. You appear more happy then I am about the decision." he remarked, shaking his head slightly. The news about the death of the previous Kazekage was old news now, already forgotten.
"We should eat ice cream! My treat!" I fist-pumped the air. I began to pull Gaara up and off the ground, trying to drag him with much success. "We have to celebrate!"
Finally giving in, he stood up. "You'll get sick Sakura." he replied in a calm voice. He wasn't supposed to point out the weather! That'll just ruin the whole mood!
"Pfft, as if I, the Great Kazekage's friend, would catch something as pathetic as a small cold." I replied in a sassy voice, rolling my eyes in a dramatic manner.
x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x
"ACHOOO!" I covered my mouth and nose, throwing away my empty plastic cup of Dippin' Dots in a nearby trashcan. Gaara found it amusing, and didn't hide it either. He was walking beside me in a long sleeved red and black striped shirt, the cold not bothering him at all, with his leather jacket hung over his shoulder.
"Quit laughing!" I said, crossing my arms over my chest.
Gaara cocked his head in an innocent manner. "Laughing? I'm not laughing. Why would I find it funny if a friend was claiming that she is immune to colds, catched one in the next thirty minutes? It's actually very tragic... wouldn't you agree?" Now he was definitely mocking me.
I pushed him playfully. "Very funny. Seriously dude, quit laughing."
"I'm not laughing!" Gaara insisted.
I looked away rubbing my hands together, not convinced at his little display. Lies, they all were. We went on like that for a while, not talking and just listening to the wind swishing back and forth, bringing leaves along in small tornadoes. Suddenly, something warm was placed over my shoulders. Confused I glanced over at Gaara, who looked almost uncomfortable at the situation.
"You were freezing so..."
He had given me his leather jacket. I smiled, hugging it close and inhaling the scent unwillingly. I stopped in my tracks, inhaling the scent again without meaning to. It didn't reek of blood like people told me. It smelled slightly of peppermint, rain and the wind, does the wind even have a scent?
"It smells just like you." I commented, only realizing a few seconds later I had voiced my thoughts out loud. "Not to sound like a creepy stalker or anything..." I added quickly.
Gaara chuckled as he saw me blush and look away. "So it doesn't smell like blood?" he asked. "What did you expect?"
The blush didn't go away as I replied. "N-no... it doesn't smell of blood. It's smells like peppermint and slightly like rain or petrichor with a splash of... uh... wind, I guess... HEY! - I can't describe it okay? I didn't even know what to expect!" I looked away once again, burying my head into the jacket so he couldn't see my red cheeks.
"Hmm... I would've never guessed." Gaara replied thoughtfully. "I don't smell like blood to you?"
"Why would you?" I asked kicking a rock nearby. "Sure it smells slightly metallic like, but that makes it more comforting... because you have a scent completely different from thos normal disgusting smelling sweaty humans."
"Why would I smell of blood...?" Gaara came to a halt, forcing me to follow him as well. "Sakura." he started. "I hope you know what I really am... and the full details with the full moon nights. Even if I can't hurt you, you must know this. You deserve to know this." It didn't seem like he wanted to tell me. "There's a full moon tomorrow night."
"Uh..." I stared at him blankly. "Yeah... I know what is trapped inside of you, that doesn't make you and him, or her, the same thing though, and uh... what's the deal with this full moon thing anyways? It's okay if you don't want to tell me. I mean, it's doesn't really seem like you want to tell me, so I'll trust your judgement." I said, shrugging as I started to skip ahead. I'm not sure I wanted to know either. I just wanted to be his friend!
Gaara grabbed my wrist before I even got two feet ahead of him. "Sakura. On full moon nights, even if that charm is protecting you, I can't be around even you. The Shukaku, the demon sealed within me... on full moon nights, he craves blood. I'll lose control and kill anyone in my path, all to satisfy his needs."
"Lalalalala, I can't hear you!" I said, covering my ears with my hands, the howling wind helped in pretending that I hadn't heard him. He tried to shout over the winds, but I simply continued to press my hands to my ears firmly.
"SAKURA!" Gaara grabbed my hands and pulled them off of my ears, leaning over he shoved them behind my back and continued to repeat the same thing. "I could kill you on a full moon night. It's the one night that the Shukaku demands blood!"
"I DON'T CARE, YOU ARE NOW MY FRIEND AND SOMEONE AS STUPID AS THE SHUKAKU CAN'T KEEP ME AWAY! I'LL HUNT HIM DOWN AND RETURN HIM TO WHEREVER HE CAME FROM IF HE KEEPS ME AWAY FROM YOU! YOU WERE LONELY, I GET IT. SO I'M NOT LEAVING YOU! FULL MOON NIGHT OR NOT!" I broke my hands free from his grip and pushed him away. He didn't object, nor could I see his face.
I ran home, remembering my promise to Grandma Tsunade. I told her I wouldn't leave him alone. He wouldn't be facing the shukaku alone. I'm his friend. His friend. I wouldn't be leaving him alone in the good or the bad. In the past three years that I've been isolated in Grandma Tsunade's house, I've learned how important friendship is to me. To leave Gaara alone like he's been for his whole life, before he went to Konoha, it was not an option, at all. As the familiar shape of home came into view, I realized I still had Gaara's jacket on. It gave me a reason to go see him tomorrow anyways. I grinned, inhaling the familiar and warm scent the jacket gave off. Call me crazy, I still couldn't get over the fact that Gaara could be the next Kazekage.