Shiori groaned rubbing her shoulders as she headed to her apartment. For the past three months her team has had nothing but missions. She bit her lip in thought counting on her fingers. 'We walked dogs about twenty times. Babysat for Ms. Itadaki twelve times, rescued a cat, ehh maybe four times, cleaned ten sections of the river, escorted three maybe four times), bodyguard twice, rescued the daimyos' son once. Was a messenger about a dozen times. Lets see, fifty-six D-rank, three C-rank, four B-rank, and one A-rank.' She ran a hand through her hand as she winced slightly. 'Boy we've been busy.'
She met up with her teammates at the training field. As soon as she stepped next to Hoshi, Koi appeared in a flurry of leaves. "You're late!" She pointed an accusing at the newcomer. All Shiori did was shrug as Koi fumed. "You ungrateful little..." She took a deep breath to calm herself as she pulled out three forms. "I have entered you in the Chunnin exams. Which start in five days." Shiori jumped up and down as she grabbed one of the forms.
"Oh thank you Sensei! Thank you!" She looked at the form as if it was the world before jumping up and down speaking so quickly that none of her team could understand her. 'I get to see Gaara! I get to see them all.' Her thoughts bounced quickly through her head not allowing her to focus on anything else.
"You are dismissed for today, start preparing for the exams." Koi walked away lazily raising a hand in goodbye as Shiori walked off happily.
"Hey put him down! Leave him alone!" Shiori heard Narutos' voice echo through the village and she turned heading towards the source. Two ninja stood in the street hold, one holding a kid in the air by his scarf. Naruto, Sakura and two other kids were there as well anger showing in their eyes. Her eyebrows pulled together as she looked at the two ninja more closely. Suddenly the man in black dropped the kid with a yelp and a rock fell onto the stone street. She followed the aim to see Sasuke tossing a rock up and down.
"You little brat just you wait." He pulled a bundle off his back that was wrapped in bandages. And Shiori's mouth fell open when the blonde turned her head noticing her.
"Kankuro, leave them alone. Or I'll kill you." Shiori's eyes widened in shock and happiness as she stepped forward towards Temari and Kankuro. She looked around searching for the red head and he appeared in a swirl of sand standing in the middle of his siblings. Kankuro gulped putting the bundle back on his back.
"I'm sorry Gaara, I was just messing around. I wasn't really going to do anything." Kankuros' voice shook with fear as his eyes widened.
"It really is you guys." Shiori ran over and gave Temari a hug. Temari looked down with an angry expression.
"You look familiar." Shiori pulled away and she looked at Gaara noticing that a black leather chord was secured around his neck. She fingered her piece of the necklace as she smiled at the three.
"Well no duh! I lived with you for years Temari! Jeez, so that's how you treat your younger siblings." She turned her back crossing her arms pretending to pout but really smiling brightly.
"Shiori you know these guys?" Naruto yelled and she rubbed her temples.
"Naruto, I've told you about them before remember? Think baka." She stuck her tongue out at him while turning around.
"I've missed you guys." She hugged Temari again receiving one back before stepping in front of Gaara. "Hey you." She looked at him oddly, his eyes which used to be like an open book to her barely showed her anything and his aura was cold and distant. She bit her lip while looking at him. Shiori took a step closer before suddenly giving him a hug. Sand gathered around him before finally settling back down. Gaara stood calmly looking down at her not moving to hug her back and her grip tightened before slowly letting him go as her hair hid her eyes.
"Well Shiori, who knew you'd ever be such a beauty. How about we hang out tonight at our hotel." Kankuro winked at her and she snapped her head up while flicking a finger down at her side. Her shadow bolted at the unsuspecting ninja, the other eight looking on in shock although Gaara remained emotionless. Her shadow wrapped around Kankuros' body before covering his mouth and nose so he couldn't breath. She sighed softly flexing her fingers and the shadow reappeared once more at her feet as if it had never moved. Kankuro coughed twice before gulping down the fresh air.
Shiori walked past with a blank expression walking between Temari and Gaara. "Thank you for the picture." She continued walking Gaara watching her out of the corner of his eyes, an unreadable expression quickly flitted over his face before resuming his composure.
"Was that really Shiori? It couldn't be." Temari watched her go shock still plainly written on her face.
"Temari, she had the fans you gave her for her seventh birthday attached to her sash. Also, she can control shadows. It really was Shiori."
Shiori kept walking trying to hold back tears as she made her way towards a cliff that over looked the village. She took one of her fans from her sash, snapping it open and closed once more in habit as she tried to control her emotions. 'I will not cry.' The mantra repeated in head even as she laid on the rocky surface of the cliff watching the clouds as the sky slowly grew darker. "I will not." She took in a shaky breath, still flicking the fan in her hand open and closed.
"You will not what?" The voice behind her was rough and deep. It was the same voice that spoke from in the tree threatening Kankuro. Shiori tilted her head back to see black sandals, and tan pants before tilting her head back farther until she could see Gaaras' face.
"Hi." Her voice was soft, almost being carried away by the wind and she saw his eyes soften slightly, although to anyone else they would still be hard.
"Hi Shiori-chan." he stepped beside her before sitting down next to her, Shiori's head following every movement.
"What are you doing here?" She played with the stones on the bracelet he gave her all those years ago waiting for his response.
"I came to be near my friend." He looked at her out of the corner of his eyes.
"You've changed." Her whisper shocked him and his head tilted down. "Why?"
"I had to become strong. I had to learn to hide all of my emotions so people could not use them against me." He looked back at her. "Do I scare you?" Shiori shook her head.
"Do I get my hug?" She looked at him with wide eyes and a slight pout as she sat up. Amusement flashed through his eyes before it disappeared once more.
"Yes." Shiori squealed happily as she launched herself at her first friend hugging him tightly this time with him hugging back. "You know, once I get back to the village I'm not going to act like this." Shiori nodded her head solemnly she had realized that once he had explained himself.
"So how have you been Shiori-chan?" Shiori leaned against his arm enjoying him company for the first time in five years.
"I've been alright. Things were terrible when I first moved here, but I made a couple friends. My teammates, Miroku and Hoshi, as well as the blonde boy dressed in orange you met earlier named Naruto.."
"The boy who was with the Uchiha and the girl in pink?" Shiori nodded ignoring his interruption.
"And then there's a shy girl named Hinata, but we don't see each other often. Naruto is my neighbor so I see him almost everyday. I've been really tired lately though, and Naruto has to wake me up in the middle of the night basically every other day because I'll have nightmares and start screaming in my sleep." She bit her lip. "I don't ever remember what they're about though." Gaara squeezed her shoulder lightly.
"I'm sorry."
She turned her head to look up at him. "It's fine Gaara-kun. You don't need to worry about it." They watched the moon for hours, Shiori still leaning on his shoulder every so often glancing up at him out of the corner of her eye studying him. The silver light made his skin look as if it was made of the palest marble and his eyes the clearest of skies. His hair glowed brightly, almost like fire before fading to black. As if feeling her gaze he turned his head to look down at her, a smile playing at the corners of his lips causing her to smile back at him. "I've missed you so much." She hugged him once more burying her head into his shoulder holding onto him tightly. He rested his chin on the top of her head his arms wrapping around her holding her close.
"And I've missed you Shiori. As much as a flower misses the sun." She tilted her head up slightly so she could see him the rest of her face hidden.
"Really?" Her blue eyes wide.
"Really." They turned their heads back toward the heavens watching the moon once more speaking in hushed tones. "You should go home and get some sleep." He placed a finger over her lips before speaking once more. "You told me you've been tired recently and have been having nightmares."
Shiori pouted slightly her expression troubled. "I don't want to."
"Why not?" He looked down at her as she kept her gaze on the moon over head.
"I'm scared." Gaara's sigh was practically inaudible and Shiori tried to hide a yawn.
"Come on, you're going home and going to sleep."
"But.."
"I wasn't finished." Gaara rolled his eyes. "I'll stay to make sure you have no nightmares, alright?" Shiori bit her lip looking at him.
"But I'll feel bad." His pale eyebrows drew together in confusion. "You can't sleep, so you'd be up alone alone and I'd feel bad."
Gaara stood up reaching a hand toward her. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine." Shiori grabbed his hand pulling herself up and walking back towards the village still holding his hand.
"Come on then." Heart heart fluttered before resuming its' normal pace.
They reached her apartment half an hour later unlocking the door and flicking on the light wincing as she finally noticed what a dump her apartment was. Cracks spread like spider webs from the ceiling halfway down the wall, pieces of the drywall missing from the ceiling and the window boarded up since villagers kept throwing rocks in the windows. Gaara followed behind her with a scowl on his face as he looked around following her to her bedroom. "I'll be right back, I'm going to change." He nodded showing he heard her as she gathered clothes together before heading to the bathroom leaving Gaara to look around. She quickly changed into a tank top and black shorts with a yellow duck on one side of the shorts before making her way back to her room.
Gaara sat on the end of her bed, the gourd on his back on the floor beside him. "How do you live in a place like this?" Shiori looked around as she pulled back the covers and climbed onto her bed.
"I never noticed how bad it actually was until tonight. I guess I got used to it." She turned to look at him. "I've been living here since I first moved to the Hidden leaf Village." Gaara looked around the room once more. "Where are you going to stay tonight?" Gaara stood up and sat next to her on top of the covers.
"Right here." The raven haired girls eyes widened slightly. "How else will I be able to keep the nightmares away?" He raised an eyebrow and she chuckled softly.
"Alrighty then. I hope your siblings won't mind that you stayed here." Gaara chuckled darkly.
"They're probably more afraid that I might be alone and how I normally act compared to being with you." Shiori gave him an odd look before lying down on her side, an arm under her pillow, yawning once more.
"Goodnight Gaara." She closed her eyes quickly falling asleep and sand turned out the light.
He smiled softly making out her form from moonlight shining through cracks in the wooden beams that covered the window. "Goodnight Shiori."
