Chapter Eleven: Moved

The following day a funeral was held for Kira's mother. Meela Araya hadn't been a noble, or a leader, or even a ninja, but many people still gathered. Kira had been told once, long ago, that the number of people that mourn a person's death shows the value of their life. It was comforting in a way, to know her mother had such great value to the people in the village.

There were few left now. Her mother's ashes had been scattered across her tombstone as was tradition, and soon after people had trickled away like grains of sand through fingers. Kira hadn't moved though; she'd stayed standing in front of her mother's resting place among the other graves, watching as the wind played with lingering ashes.

Kira couldn't remember the last time she'd worn a dress. Such fashion was hardly suitable for a shinobi, and they weren't seen much in the dessert either. Still, she wore one now, long sleeved and black, the skirt reaching just past her knees. Her hair was freshly washed and set back into her normal style and all traces of tears had been scrubbed away.

Aya stood beside her, a hand on her shoulder meant as a comfort, but to her it felt like dead weight. She didn't know what to say to her friend, and while Aya had offered caring words, it all felt a little hollow now. Kira couldn't really seem to figure anything out though. The last day had been nothing more than a blur of emotion and exhaustion, as she had passed out not long after crying for over an hour the day before.

The grief was there now, it would be there for a while she figured, but it wasn't the same. She was spent, level headed once more, and while it nearly ate away at her soul, Kira had accepted the passing of her mother. It didn't make it any less painful, but in excepting it, in grieving the way she had, Kira had found a little strength to pick herself back up and move again.

She just wasn't sure where to move.

"I know you probably don't want to think about it," Aya said quietly, her hand squeezing gently on Kira's shoulder. "But my mom said you could use our extra room if you wanted to." She meant well, Kira knew she did, but the idea of moving into a house and a room that had once belonged to Aya's older sister bothered her. Kira had never met the women, but she had apparently moved to the Land of Stone to follow some boy home. It felt like an intrusion to use the room. Still, Kira knew rather well she couldn't keep staying in the house she'd grown up in. Her salary as a ninja wasn't bad, but it certainly couldn't support a place that big. Beside, Kira had no real use for half of that place anymore.

"I'll think about it," she muttered, echoing her friend's words, eyes pinned to the flowers that nearly covered the words etched into the stone.

"Alright. I'll see you later okay?" The only reply her friend got was a short nod. Aya sighed, and slowly her hand dropped from Kira's shoulder and she walked away. Kira didn't turn to watch her go, just listened to her retreating footsteps as the wind picked up and tousled her hair to the sided. Slowly, she crouched down, eyeing the flowers and grave.

There was a part of her that berated her for her actions. How could she be so self-centered, it reason, when a war was brewing that would affect every person she knew and more. It was only a small part of her though, and Kira resigned herself to the fact that the world could go on without her for a few days, that she had a right to do as she did now.

After a long moment Kira reached forward and grabbed a few of the flowers from the grave and turned slightly to put them down on the grave a foot from her mother's, but perfectly lined up with it. The stone was much older; a few cracks had formed along the edges of the plaque. It read: Akio Araya, the date of his death being that of eleven years ago. Kira hadn't known him well, but he had been the reason for her happy home life. She just wished she'd been able to know him better.

It wasn't long after that she heard a set of footstep coming towards her. She knew who it was before he even spoke; the sand siblings were the only ones still present with Aya gone. None of them had spoken a word during the funeral, but Kira had already known everything they could have said.

"What do the words on your back say?" Gaara's voice was quiet just like the wind that blew through. Kira blinked, turning slightly to look at the redhead in surprise. That had been the last thing she'd thought he would say. She welcomed the change in topic though, and suddenly she realized why he'd said it.

Turning to look back at the head stone she could almost see what he was referring too. The back of her dress was laced, showing a small amount of skin. The picture covered most of her mid-back, a dark blue night sky that had faded edges, a full moon and bright shining stares. A single shooting star drew the eye to a line of kanji on one side. Kira could only guess that with the lace, Gaara couldn't read it very well.

"It says, 'The sky has room for every star.'" Kira remember the months it had taken, almost a year, but the tattoo had been slowly placed on to her back. It had taken a very long time due the complicated design and detail, and it held a lot of meaning and hope for Kira during those days.

"Is it new?" He sounded genuinely curious about it, and Kira couldn't help but think about the day before. About how he'd sat there for hours while she'd cried and he hadn't belittled her at all for it. He'd said it was alright. He'd made it feel okay to cry, just like now how he made it easier to concentrate on something else.

"No. I've had it for a very long time. It started being applied shortly after I began ANBU training with Korin." She could nearly feel him tense behind her at the name of her former teacher. Kira busied herself by rearranging the flowers on the grave so that the words weren't covered. "You asked once, or rather you implied once, that you were surprised I wasn't like his other… students." Kira had met some of them once; they had been cold, emotionless, and cruel beyond hope of ever being sane again. Most of them had died during the assault on the Leaf.

"Yes." His reply was curt, but still softly edged. He didn't want to force her to talk about it, not now, when Kira was already so emotionally raw. He should know though; she wanted to tell him.

"I nearly did break…I…some of the things he did to try and break me…" Kira shook her head and rested her arms on her crouched legs. She couldn't seem to form the words needed to describe the training. "I started getting the tattoo every time I went home from a session. Some times I was gone for weeks, but the pain of the healing ink on my back was a constant reminder of who I was. It reminded me of my mother and that I did have a reason not to give in. If it weren't for her…" her voice hitched and she sighed, eyes down cast. "I don't know what to do…"

The wind whirled in her ears again and Kira didn't bother to try and keep her face neutral. She didn't seem to have the strength to. Gaara moved forward, the scuff of sand shifting telling her that. She could almost feel him beside her, though he didn't move to touch her. After a moment the shifting sound of sand came again and Kira's eyes were drawn to the sand around her mother's gravestone. One second it was normal loose sand, and the next the sand seemed to press in on itself, the indented shapes of flowers forming in a relief like stamp.

It startled her, and she looked up to Gaara who stood at her left and met her eyes with his as if he had been waiting. She blinked before glancing at the relief of flowers again, truly surprised that he could do that. She'd had no idea. "How did you..."

"I saw the design on a wall in your house," Gaara informed her and Kira nodded slightly. She wasn't surprised she didn't recognize it; her mother had hundreds of designs. It was interesting that he'd remembered one though. "Perhaps it is one you should take with you, when you move into your new quarters."

At first, Kira thought maybe he spoke of Aya's offer. It was possible he'd overheard them talking, but as she looked up at him confused, that wasn't what his steady gaze seemed to tell her.

"I don't understand."

"You'll be moving into one of the rooms in the Kazekage's family quarters." He said it so matter-of-factly that all Kira could do was gawk. Gaara raised a pale brow as if he couldn't understand her confusion. "You passed the test I gave you. Your new assignment will start in two days, it only makes sense that my guard would be close at hands as all times." There was a pause and Gaara looked past her for a moment before continuing. "Kankurō believes it is the best action to take."

Oh.

Kira glance to her other side where she found Kankurō and Temari standing a good distance away watching them. The puppet master grinned and gave a wave when she looked to him. Kira bit her lip. She couldn't deny that it was logical, but it was still a bit overwhelming.

"I don't know if…" she trailed off realizing Gaara's words hadn't really been an offer like Aya's had been. It hadn't been an order either, but as she glanced back to the redhead the look he gave her silently informed her it would become one if she didn't agree. Did she really have any reason to object besides a bit of awkward discomfort? She looked down again, eyes tracing the imprint he had made in the sand and chewed on her bottom lip for a moment. What other options did she really have? Slowly she let her shoulders drop and she nodded her head slightly. "Understood… Thank you…" she murmured and the young ruler shifted his weight again.

"I told you before, you don't need to thank me."

She glanced up to him again before standing up, her feet protesting. She looked him in the eyes for a long moment before she simply turned her gaze upward. "I know, but I am grateful all the same. Not just for this or yesterday, but for, well, everything." After all where would she be if he hadn't been there? True, the entire reason she'd been allowed to stay in The Sand was because his father had seen her as a means to an end for him, but that wasn't really what she meant. She wasn't quiet sure what she meant, but she did know that he'd changed her life since the day she'd spoken out of turn.

Gaara looked surprised by her words, the corners of his mouth twitching upward for a moment. "Such benefits are not one sided," he pointed out catching her off guard once more. When Kira turned her gaze to him again, he was looking off into the distance, past the graveyard. "I expect you for dinner tonight."

Kira snorted slightly at his tone. She couldn't quiet tell if he was demanding it or just informing her of a possibility. He didn't want to order her around, she knew that much. Nodding slightly, she glanced to her mother's grave again before turning away from it and towards Gaara. "I'll be there. Promise."

Now she just had to go home and pack.

…

True to her word, Kira had arrived six hours later, leaving her some time before dinner would be ready. She'd enlisted Kankurō's help packing, practically dragging him along and saying that since it was his idea, he got to help. Gaara was pretty sure he wasn't the only one who found it amusing that he'd unintentionally set his brother up to be a pack mule. Honestly, Gaara had been surprised by how quickly she had arrived. His brother was leading her down the hall to where bedrooms were kept and it was only late afternoon. The portion of the tower meant for the Kazekage was large, and had a total of five bedrooms. Being as there were only the three of them, that left two rooms vacant.

Gaara watched silently near his sister as Kira glanced in both rooms before quickly choosing the one at the end of the hall, leaving a room between hers and Kankurō's. Temari's was next to Gaara's on the opposite wall, both of theirs larger than the other three. Gaara hadn't really cared, but some how he'd ended up with the one most likely meant for two people to share.

Kira's new room was clean, but mostly empty. There was a desk pushed up to one side and a sliding closet next to it. A bed, bare of sheets, was on the opposite wall, a large window to the left of the headboard.

Kira set the one medium sized box she'd been carrying down on the bed as Kankurō set down a large scroll Gaara didn't recognize. The puppet master unrolled it, revealing a summoning seal. With a quick hand sign and a puff of smoke, four more boxes appearing on the paper, all around the same size as the one Kira had set down.

"Easiest move ever, right?" Kankurō said with a grin, looking rather proud of himself as he crossed his arms. Kira raised an eyebrow at him and Gaara saw her lips twitch for a moment, though she didn't smile.

"Yes, thank you oh great master of summoning boxes," her tone left little doubt of her sarcasm and Kankurō huffed a bit. To Gaara's side, Temari took a step into the bedroom, looking around before her eyes landed on the small stack of boxes.

"Don't you have anything else to get Kira? I don't mind helping." At her words Gaara saw his friend tilt her head and look at her packed belongings.

"No. This is everything."

"Oh."

Gaara could only guess that Temari was confused by how little the ANBU had brought with her. His sister's room was rather full of items and he was sure it would have taken nearly three times as many boxes to pack it all up. It was a little odd; even Gaara himself had found he had slowly begun to collect things over time.

Whether or not her statement had bothered Kira, she simply shrugged and turned, popping the lift off the box on her bed and reached in, pulling out what looked like a picture frame. After a moment she spoke again, as if she had been thinking over what his sister had said. "I guess it's weird…I just, well, never really had the time or money for a lot of things." As she spoke, she pulled out another framed picture and then moved across the room, setting them on the desk.

"Really? I thought ANBU got paid pretty well…" Temari trailed off, apparently realizing she might have been prying. Her statement was true though; ANBU were paid rather well seeing as they were put at risk a great deal more. She should have had spare money.

"They do," Kira replied and continued unpacking the box, pulling out a few books and an alarm clock. She wasn't looking at any of them as she worked. "But the last few years mom's work hadn't been pulling in much money, so I was helping pay for the house payments and food and stuff. I didn't mind really…." She paused; her back tensing and Gaara frowned. Speaking about her mother so soon after her funeral must have been hard, and he could imagine she would have done anything to have the life she spoke of back.

There was a thick silence for a few moments before Kankurō stretched and then yawned. "Hey, so I just remembered I have something for you. I'll be right back." He gave his friend a grin when she nodded her head and then turned, grabbing his sister's shoulder and walking past Gaara into the hall with her. Gaara watched quietly as he dropped his hand and then shook his head at Temari's confused look. After a moment the blond pressed her lips together and gave a quick nod.

"I'll go see how dinner is going." With that she turned down the hall, past Kankurō as he open the door to his room and walked in. Glancing back to Kira, Gaara found her still unloading the first box, taking out what seemed to be a small art piece before she snapped the lid back on the box and put it on the ground, moving to the next one. This one was filled with colorful twine and beads and other supplies Gaara didn't really recognize. It was the one hobby she seemed to have, and while he hadn't seen her weave the twine together lately, he was glad she didn't appear to have given it up.

After watching for a few more moments, Gaara walked into the room and over to the desk, curiosity getting the better of him as he peered at the two pictures she'd set on it.

The first was old; even with the glass protecting it the edges were crinkled. It was still in full color, telling him it wasn't too old, but then he realized who one of the people in the picture was. Meela, perhaps a bit younger, her hair a light brown with just a few silver strands in it. She sat on a bed, one that looked like the ones seen in the medical building, next to a man that looked her age. His hair was short and black, but his skin looked too pale, unhealthy and see-through. Surprisingly, Gaara saw his village headband resting on the side table by the bed, identifying him as a ninja. The last person in the picture was much smaller and sat in front of them; legs sprawled out in front. They had short black hair barely covering their ears and wore a too-big shirt that nearly fell off one shoulder.

It took Gaara a moment to realize that it was Kira, her bright amber eyes staring back at him from a much younger face. They were all smiling in the picture, but Kira's was larger than the others, a thing only seen in a child these days.

"That's my dad."

Her voice startled him and Gaara looked to his side to see Kira standing there, her arms holding the half dozen books from before. She nodded back to the picture.

"You were wondering who he was, right?"

The thought had passed his mind, but Gaara hadn't thought to mention it. Now though, he was curious. "Your father?" It was a bit confusing honestly, he hadn't seen anything about one in Kira's file, not that her file had much. Then, Gaara recalled a memory only a few hours old; he'd watched Kira put some flowers on the grave next to her mother's, but at the time hasn't really thought about it. He remembered the name though, mostly because the Ninja sign had been next to it.

Akio Araya.

"Yeah," Kira started and moved, setting the books down and then began placing them near the back standing, using the wall like the back of a bookshelf. "When I was first brought here, they didn't know what to do with me, so they kept me in the hospital." Like before her voice was even, her eyes and hands focusing on her task at hand. Someday, Gaara hoped her voice would be as strong as it was now all the time. "I got bored though…so I did what any kid would do. I started exploring, and eventually I found his room." After a moment the books shifted and Gaara watched them lean to the side and fall over on the table. Kira made a small sound of annoyance and turned away, stocking over to the boxes and opening a different one entirely.

As she sifted through what looked like bedding and clothes, Gaara turned to watch her and prompted her to continue. "Why was he there?" His words made her pause for a moment before she started up again.

"He was sick. It was… terminal, some kind of disease that eats away at your own chakra." She pulled out a small whetstone. The block was rather worn, but still useable and appeared to be what she had been looking for as Kira straightened once more. "I remember he would get really tired easily and have these really bad coughing fits."

While the proper name for the illness escaped Gaara as it seemed to for Kira as well, the redhead knew what she was talking about. It was rare, but he'd read that in someway it was like having cancer, but it only went after chakra. Once there was none left… the host body would soon fail.

"He was really nice," Kira stated, breaking his thoughts as she walked back over and reset the books, this time using the whetstone as a bookend of sorts. "He let me stay in his room, and he talked to me like a normal person. Told me stories about his adventures. He was an ANBU; I remember thinking that had sounded really cool." She made a face that seemed stuck between a wince and disgruntled annoyance. "I met his wife a few days later, my mom."

An ANBU? Gaara raised an eyebrow in surprised, looking back at the picture again. He wouldn't have ever guessed that. Then again, wasn't that the whole point of the mask? "He meant a lot to you." It was a statement, a truth that rang true in her own words as she spoke of him. Kira nodded her head, hands twitching as they fell to her sides, task done.

"He gave me my name." Her lips twitched when Gaara's eyes widened, like she wanted to laugh but couldn't. "I couldn't remember anything about myself; I still can't from the days before coming here. I didn't know what my name was, so he gave me one. He said my eyes glittered like the stars in the sky, and that was why I was Kira." As he watched, Gaara saw the smallest of smiles touch her lips, her mind lost in a pleasant memory. He wondered what it must have been like for her, not remembering anything. Gaara had been alone, he had been hated, but at least he had always known his name, always known where he was born. "He's also the one who got… your father to let me be adopted." She threw the words out at him so suddenly all Gaara could do was stare for a moment.

"What?" Did she mean to say that his father hadn't planned on letting her have a somewhat normal childhood? He frowned, eyeing the picture again and the man in it.

"I think your father had planned on putting me straight into the Scorpion Section. But my dad, I guess he knew your father pretty well, was one of his trusted gaurds like Korin, and some how he convinced him to do differently. He asked to let him and his wife adopt me, and for some reason…your father allowed it." She bit her low lip for a moment before sighing, her eyes half shut. "I know now that his reasoning was not just to save me from that fate, but also to give my mom something to hold on to. I think he knew he wasn't going to live much longer." She reached out and touched the photo, staring at it. "This was taken the day I became their daughter… he passed away less then a month later. After that it took a while for mom and I to really become close. He'd been the glue that put us together, but in the end we both needed each other."

"He'd be proud of you." Gaara didn't have to think about it, he just knew it to be true. Who wouldn't be proud of her? Kira had done more then most would have thought possible. She gave a nod and then pointed to the other picture. It was newer, and featured Team Fukurō. It looked like a normal team picture, but they were much older than normal.

"That was taken about two months after I became part of the team. Aya found out I didn't have a 'team picture', and practically demanded we get one. Shura wasn't very happy about it, but he put up with it." True to her statement, Gaara could see the sober expression on the older man as he stood next to his younger charges. Aya had an arm over Kira's shoulder and was grinning at her while Kira just smiled slightly, half looking at her friend. Gaara smiled slightly at the photo. It seemed perfect some how in displaying the dynamics of her team.

There was a stark difference between the two photos. One telling of a past and memories of people she would never see again, the other showing the present and the people she cared about. Just two pictures, but they spoke quiet a lot.

As he compared them silently, Kankurō came back into the room and Gaara glanced up at him. He was a bit surprised to find his brother holding yet another framed photo, and rubbing the back of his neck.

"So, I got this a few weeks ago, but then I lost it for a while. But, uh, here it is." He held out the small rectangle, and Kira moved, walking around Gaara and taking it from his brother. She looked down at it for a moment before snorting and shaking her head, that ghost of a smile on her face again.

"I had wondered." Turning, she walked the few steps back over and set the new photo down next to the one of her team. Gaara studied it quickly like the others and was surprised at what he saw. It was a simple photo, the two people in it being his brother and Kira. They stood side by side, looking at each other – Kira having to look up a bit – and where smiling, their fists bumping together in the center. Judging from both of their clothes it was rather recent, and Gaara wondered if it had been taken to mark the rekindling of their friendship.

As Kira turned to thank his brother and moved with him to unpack more boxes, Gaara found himself wondering at the now three photos. They were all stages of her life; all cherished among her few possessions. They were representations of the people in her life that she truly let in. Gaara couldn't help but wondered if maybe one day, He would be in one of her photos too.

He hoped so.

This chapter kind of ends the first 'arc' of the story about how they became friends, I hope you guys are enjoying the story!