A/N: Thanks to everyone who takes the time out to read. Also, thanks to maxridelover for reviewing and subscribing, as well as MarauderProperty, Ninja Cucumbers, The Name is Greed, Princess wolfclub, CollegeGirl2018, and NoticeMeSempaii01 for adding my story to their favorites and or subscribing. Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 11: Nineteenth
Gaara
He is jolted up in bed. His hair, damp with sweat, sticks to the nape of his neck and his forehead.
Did I fall asleep?
Reaching into his nightstand, he pulls out his phone to check the time.
19th January…2:47 am.
Damnit.
Gaara covers his face with his hands.
He feels the bed move. Gaara freezes, fear paralyzing him.
No…no, no, no!
He begins to panic.
What is she doing here?
He quickly gets out of bed, taking his phone with him.
Without looking back, Gaara walks out of his room, quietly closing the door behind him.
The sound of mumbling floats out from the kitchen.
Gaara hesitates before shuffling toward the kitchen, stopping at the entrance.
"I promise it'll be okay Hinata," Naruto mumbles weakly, stroking her hair.
Hinata's head is buried in his chest. Her entire body is shaking.
"Please don't cry," he says, sounding on the verge of tears himself.
He quietly walks backward until he reaches his room door.
Careful not to make any noise, he slowly opens the door and walks into the darkened room.
Where did she go?
The spot where Rin was sleeping is empty.
Gaara notices light underneath the bathroom door and is at the door within moments.
He pauses at the slightly ajar door.
Leaning against the toilet, Rin gasps for air.
After a few moments, she gets to her feet and walks over to the sink, turning on the faucet.
Cupping her hand, she fills it with water and shakenly lifts it to her mouth.
She spits out and braces herself against either side of the sink.
Is she okay?
She suddenly looks in the mirror, her eyes locking with his widening eyes.
He catches a glimpse of himself in the mirror. There is a strange look on his face.
Shit.
Gaara slowly takes a step back.
Dropping her head, she turns off the faucet.
He turns around and heads back to the bed, slipping under the sheets. After a few minutes, he feels her get in beside him.
"Are you alright?" he finally asks.
"…Yeah…I'm fine…Think I had a bit too much to drink."
A bit too much?
That's when it all comes back to him: Rin had continued to drink all throughout the evening, eating less and less. Naruto and Hinata had gone off to her place after dinner. The ride back to the apartment was a very quiet one. It wasn't until they got back that Gaara discovered that Rin had passed out in the backseat. He had managed to carry her up to the apartment and put her in his bed where he distinctly remembers her mumbling. He couldn't make out any of what she was saying beside, "I'm sorry mommy." She had woken up several times, dazed. Oddly enough, he had found the sound of her muttering to be soothing.
I must have fallen asleep at that time.
He lets out a sigh.
Thank God, I thought I slept with her.
"…Gaara…" The sound of her voice fills his ears.
"Yeah?"
No response.
He glances at her.
Her eyes are closed and she's breathing lightly.
She's mumbling again.
He feels his eyes getting heavy.
…
Head pounding, Gaara sits up in bed.
A bit of sunlight streams into his room from behind the curtains.
"Fell asleep again," he says, slowly getting out of bed.
Where did she go?
An aroma drifts into his room, filling his nostrils.
Gaara's stomach growls.
I'm starving.
...
His mouth drops open at the sight before him.
On the kitchen table is a large bowl of steamed rice, miso soup in an equally large bowl, while a generous helping of natto is in a medium sized bowl, a small platter of nori with a side of soy sauce, a huge plate of tamagoyaki, broiled fish, and a small serving of tsukemono.
"Happy birthday!" Rin calls out from behind him, startling him.
How did she remember? Naruto vaguely mentioned it last night.
"Hope you're hungry because there's a lot of food here," she says, taking his hand, leading him to the table.
"Rin...you didn't have to go through all this trouble," he says, staring at all of the food.
"It wasn't any trouble at all."
"I'm not hungry."
His stomach growls.
Rin giggles.
"You sound pretty hungry to me," she hands him a pair of chopsticks and a spoon.
He smiles at her sheepishly.
"Thanks…I haven't had a meal like this in forever…"
"Well," she says, heading to the sink, "eat up...I have a huge day planned," she turns to him, a mischievous look on her face, "and a surprise that'll have to wait till the end of the day."
Gaara gulps.
…
Rin
"All set?" she ask, walking into the living room.
Gaara stands up from the sofa.
"Yeah…Where are we going?"
Rin moves close to him, a few inches separating their bodies. She places her index finger on her lips.
"It's a surprise," she says with wink.
His cheeks instantly turn a bright red.
Giggling, she takes his hand in hers, leading them out of the apartment.
…
Gaara
His entire body tenses. He grabs on to her hand tightly.
Rin glances at him.
"What are we doing here?" he asks, not even hiding his apprehension.
"Mass," she says simply.
He quickly lets go of her hand, taking several steps back.
"Mass?" he asks, confused.
She nods shyly. "It's a thing…I used to do with my mom…Her family was Catholic…Father's family was originally but he gave that up and embraced Buddhism as a means of making our family seem more Japanese…But my mom would take me to Mass secretly…"
He stares at her for a long time.
"I-I'm sorry if I offended you…" she murmurs, gaze falling to the ground. "I just thought you might enjoy it..."
"It's fine…Just…" he sighs, "nothing…" he trails off.
"Are you alright?" she asks, concern in her voice.
He lets out a long sigh, running his hands through his hair. "Yes, I'm fine. Let's go in," he says with a small smile.
…
Gaara quietly watches Rin kneeling. A priest walks and stands a few feet away from her until she finishes and crosses herself. Standing, she turns to him, a smile on her face.
They exchange a few words.
What is he saying?
Gaara gets closer in an attempt to hear them better.
"Right this way then my daughter," he says, gesturing for Rin to follow him.
A terrible feeling washes over Gaara.
No.
The sound of crying fills his head.
No.
Gaara rushes after them. He watches as Rin gets into the confessional booth.
No.
He tries to scream her name but he is paralyzed by fear. His entire body begins to shake.
They flood him.
Like an inundated damn, the memories rush back to him.
Please no.
The bells tolling.
The smile on the priest's face.
The clammy feeling of his skin.
The tears.
The pain.
So much pain.
He grasps his head in pain.
So much pain.
Blood…My blood.
"Gaara?"
A weird sensation rushes over him.
"Gaara," Rin says more concerned, gently tugging on the sleeve of his shirt.
"Sorry…I have a slight headache," he manages to gasp out.
She stares at him but says nothing.
"Can we leave?" he asks, taking her hand.
Rin quietly nods.
…
"Which ride should we go on first?!" Rin asks excitedly, her eyes glittering.
She's like a child.
Temari's words suddenly come to mind.
"She's right," he sighs as he watches Rin run excitedly from stall to stall.
"Gaara," she calls out, waving at him from a few feet away.
He can't help but smile.
Stuffing his hands in his pocket, he walks over to her.
"I'm so excited," she gushes, "I haven't been to an amusement park in forever…My m-" she gets a strange look on her face.
"My mom used to take me all the time," she says, the excitement gone from her voice.
He opens his mouth to speak.
"Ooooohhh, let's get on the Ferris wheel!" she suddenly says, pulling him toward the Ferris wheel.
It's been a while for me too…The last time I went…
He quickly shakes the thought from his mind.
I'm with her now….Can't dwell on the past. Beside, that meant nothing at all to me.
"Gaara, come on!"
He snaps back to reality.
Rin eagerly waits for him to join her in the pod.
"Sorry, my mind was somewhere else," he says as he gets in with her.
The door closes behind them.
Rin sits quietly until the wheel begins to slowly move.
"Penny for your thoughts?" she says quietly, staring down at her hands.
He looks at her blankly.
"You seem to be really absorbed by your thoughts today…If you would rather go back, that's fine by me…"
He takes her hand in his.
Rin looks up at him
"No…I was just taken aback by the Mass thing earlier is all…I'm fine," he says with a smile.
She doesn't seem to believe him.
"Promise?" she pouts.
"I promise," he says, kissing her forehead, "There is nowhere else I would rather be right now."
Smiling, she leans against his chest.
…
"You didn't tell me about this!" Gaara says as he watches her slide her foot into the shoes.
"Duh, it's called a surprise for a reason. It'll be fun…Kinda like the amusement park."
"Rin…I-I can't…" Gaara says, staring at the ice.
"Of course you can silly, it's fun and easy."
"No, I really can't. I've never done this before."
"I'll teach you how…it's really simple," she says, tying the final knot on her lace.
She stands up, hands on her hips, and watches a hesitant Gaara put on his ice skates.
She outstretches her hands for him to take.
Standing up, Gaara begins to slide.
Panic washes over his face.
"Quit moving," she says, trying to hold in a giggle, "you look like a fawn trying to learn how to walk."
Gaara blushes. "This is a bad idea Rin…I would rather not."
"Nonsense," she says, taking his hands as she slowly moves onto the ice.
Gaara tenses.
"I would rather not," he repeats, using his weight to keep her from moving.
"Oh, come on Gaara."
He tries to slowly move backward.
Rin tightens her grip on his hand.
"I don't want to do this," he says, struggling to free his hand.
"Just try it!"
"No," he pulls back a bit too hard, causing him to fall backward.
Rin bursts into a fit of laughter.
"I'm done here!" he barks at her, his cheeks beet red.
Gaara slowly begins to crawl toward the exit.
"Oh no you don't!" He hears her voice and glances backward to see her skating toward him at top speed.
Shit.
"Stay away Rin," he hisses, a couple of feet away from his freedom.
"Never!"
His eyes widen. She leaps into the air.
"I got you now!"
"Rin stooooppppp!"
…
"I can crawl by myself…I don't need you on my back crawling with me."
Arms wrapped tightly around his midsection, she drags him back onto the rink.
"Nah uh. You might try and run away again," she says, cheerfully guiding them.
He gently shakes her until she gets up.
"Here," she says, extending her hand.
Gaara takes it.
"Okay…it's just like walking…"
That sounds easy.
"Except it's not…because you're on ice…on a thin pair of blades….You know, scratch what I just said. It is nothing like walking."
So much for that.
"Hold on tightly."
Gaara feels himself begin to move slowly.
"This isn't so bad," he says quietly.
She glances at him briefly.
"Grab on to my waist," she says.
"What?"
"I'm about to speed up. Grab on."
He hesitates before wrapping his arms around her waist tightly.
His heart drops into his stomach as she begins to go around the rink, faster each time.
"This isn't necessary…I feel light headed."
They stop. Gaara presses his cheek against her neck.
He can feel his heart beating against her back.
The sweet scent of lavender drifts from her hair, filling his nostrils; intoxicating him.
Gaara places a soft kiss on her neck.
Take her. She's yours.
They stand like that for a while longer.
Finally, Rin clears her throat.
"You um, you should try going at it alone," she says, turning to face him, her face flushed.
Slowly, she moves his hands from her waist, holding them firmly in hers.
"Okay, on the count of 3, I'm going to let go…."
"I don't think this is a good…."
"3, 2, 1." She slowly glides backwards, leaving him standing there.
Gaara feels his legs start to shake, but he stabilizes himself.
Sighing, he slowly moves.
"Okay, that's a start," he mutters to himself.
"Follow me," she says, slowly gliding.
Gaara gulps.
Here goes nothing.
He glides a few feet but feels himself about to fall so he stops.
"Don't think about it too hard Gaara, just do it."
Right. Don't think too hard.
Closing his eyes, he feels himself begin to move.
Initially, there is some apprehension but after a few minutes, Gaara feels himself relax totally. His eyes close. A serenity surrounds him as he moves across the ice.
This is pretty relaxing.
The sound of blades speeding toward him tear through the peace. His eyes instantly bolt open just in time to see a smiling Rin, arms outstretched, jump at him.
"That was amazing!" she squeals, crashing into him.
The pair falls down onto the ice, Rin atop him.
The redhead sits up but freezes.
His green eyes are staring directly into her grey eyes.
Their lips are mere inches apart.
Her eyes are really beautiful.
Slowly, he lifts his hand to her face, gently rubbing his thumb against her smooth cheek.
A small smile plays on her lips.
He leans in to kiss her but she immediately throws her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.
So much for that.
"Ooooohhh Gaara! You were amazing!" She squeals.
Smiling, he wraps his hands around her waist, pulling her into a warm embrace.
…
"Wel-Oh Rin, Gaara…So nice to see you guys again!" Akane says with a huge grin.
"Hayate," She calls into the back room, "Come here, Hayate!"
"Yeah, yeah I'm coming woman," he mumbles walking out. "Well, well, well! Look who we have here!"
"Sit, sit," Akane says, gesturing toward the chairs.
Gaara and Rin remove their coats and hats, sitting down.
"And to what do we owe this honour?" Hayate asks.
Rin smiles, "it's Gaara's birthday..."
Akane smiles, clapping her hands, "we must celebrate!" She walks behind the counter, pulling out a bottle of sake and 4 cups.
She pours one for Gaara, herself, and Hayate.
"I'll have water," Rin says just as the woman is about to pour the fourth cup.
"You... Have water?"
Rin nods quietly.
"I got really sick last night," she mutters.
Akane makes a clucking sound. "How many times have we warned you?" She chides. "What would your mother say Rin?" She fills the glass with water, "What kind of example are you setting for Ryuu?" Her voice softens, "You can't keep drinking all your problems away…"
Rin drops her head.
"That's enough Akane... Now, what will you guys like to eat?"
...
"More snow!" She squeals as they step out of the shop.
Tossing her head back, lifts her tongue into the air.
Giggling, she begins to run about, capturing the snow on her tongue.
What was Akane talking about? What did she mean by that?
Gaara catches up to her and causally slides his hand over hers.
Rin glances at him, a small smile appearing on her lips.
"You did pretty well for someone who thought he was going to die," she says playfully.
"I counted 3 separate occasions where you tried to kill me."
"I recall no such things."
Her eyes widen.
"Put me down!" She screams as he lifts and tosses her over his shoulder.
She tries, in vain, to wriggle out of his grasp.
Gaara suddenly stops moving.
"Well…what do we have here? Why, it's a fresh pile of snow," he almost whispers.
"Gaara…don't you dare…"
"I do remember you saying you wanted me to put you down, right?"
"Gaara…."
A shrill scream fills the winter air.
"I'm going to kill you!"
She tries to get up but Gaara gently pushes her forehead back, causing her to fall back into the pile of snow.
"You're going to have to try a bit har-"
Plop.
A snowball lands directly on his face.
"What a cheap sho-"
Plop.
Sighing, he wipes the snow off his face.
"Don't you have anything else to say?" she asks smugly, playing with the snow in front of her.
His head drops.
She notices his mouth move but can't make out what he says.
"Huh?"
"I said," he bends down, scooping a large handful of snow before straightening back up, "run."
Her eyes widen. She is quickly on her feet.
His head jolts upwards. A sly grin appears on his face.
She tears off running.
"Ha! You're going to have to try a bit harder to cat-"
Her eyes widen.
Plop.
The snowball hits her directly on the back of the head.
She slips and falls onto her knees.
Her eyes close at the sound of approaching footsteps behind her.
Rin slowly raises her hands into the air.
"Uncle. You got me. Good jo-"
Plop, plop, plop.
Gaara throws 3 consecutive snowballs at the back of her head.
She falls face-first into the snow.
"Why," she moans, rolling onto her back.
Satisfied, he bends down beside her face.
"Looks like I win," he whispers near her ear.
"Hmmm," she smiles. "You know," she whispers sensually, "As the winner, you should get a kiss."
Gaara tenses. His heart begins to beat faster.
She grabs the front of his jacket, pulling him closer to her.
Gaara braces himself on either side of her with his arms.
"Rin," he gulps.
She slowly moves her face to his. Their lips are about to touch when Gaara feels his entire face go cold.
"Victory is mine!" she yells, immediately on her feet, pinning him to the ground.
"How's the snow taste?" She grins. "Better question: How does defeat taste?"
…
"I'm exhausted," Gaara breathes, collapsing onto the sofa.
Rin quietly takes off her coat, hat and gloves.
"Rin…"
She walks closer to him, sitting on the floor in front of him.
"Gaara…" she whispers, slowly running her fingers through his curls.
He reaches up and touches her hand.
"Rin, what was all that about earlier….in the shop with Akane."
Her eyes widen. She gives him a sad smile.
"I…" she slowly touches his cheek, "I have…a problem," her head drops.
"Problem…?"
"Yeah…" she lets out a sigh, "I drink a lot…"
He tenses.
"When your mom is addicted to heroin you find ways to escape..." she looks up at him and smiles, tears in her eyes, "Alcohol just so happened to be my escape…I guess, the same can be said about my mom…Heroin was her escape…from my dad and his lies and infidelities… But it ruined everything…It ruined her and my brother," she seems to hesitate, "Ryuu…my brother was born addicted to it…"
Heroin.
He feels his entire body go cold.
I can't let her find out….She won't like me anymore if she does.
"But Akane's right...Ryuu needs me…I should probably stop…" she mutters.
A loud ringing fills his ears.
Gaara abruptly stands up.
"I-I need to shower," he mutters, quickly walking to his room.
…
Gaara stares at the needle.
"Damnit….why today of all days," he mutters.
I can't do it.
Gaara angrily tosses the needle in the trash.
Relax you idiot.
Gaara sighs. "I do need to relax." He slowly peels the clothes off his body, walking into the bathroom.
…
Rin
Geez….what's taking him so long.
She gets up and heads toward Gaara's door.
She is about to knock when the door suddenly opens.
"Aaah," Rin falls backward.
"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you," the redhead says, giving her his hand to take.
Rin stares from his hand to his bare chest.
His porcelain torso is slim and toned. The muscles on him are well defined, but lean. Droplets of water caress every crevice on his body.
She continues to stare.
"Rin?"
She looks up at his face. His dark rimmed, green eyes look confused. His fiery red hair curls hug his head, a few longer strands kissing his forehead and the nape of his neck.
Rin feels her entire body growing warm.
He's so….handsome.
She lets out a squeal, getting to her feet without his assistance.
"Huh?"
So very handsome!
She takes a few step back away from him.
"Hey, are you okay?"
"Don't come any closer!" she screams as her nose begins to bleed.
He takes a couple more steps toward her.
Rin continues to walk backward until she feels something hard against her back.
Gaara smiles, closing the distance between them.
He places his hand on either side of the wall, trapping her in between.
She looks up at him, her entire body aflame.
He has a devilish grin on his face.
She feels herself melt.
"You've been teasing me all day…But I finally have you," he breathes, leaning in to kiss her.
Rin gently places her index finger on his lips.
"W-wait…Gaara," she stutters, clearly flustered. "I almost forgot your surprise."
Gaara lets out a sigh.
She quickly reaches in her pocket, pulling out a folded piece of paper.
He moves his hand from the wall, taking the paper and reading it.
He is quiet for a very long time. He finally looks up at her from the paper.
"Why…"
Gaara stares back at the sheet of paper. He looks back at Rin.
She smiles at him, dimples appearing in her cheeks. "When…when I spoke to Mr. Mera… He told me that you had told him you wouldn't be coming to Osaka to study with him…Said you wanted to stay in Tokyo… At first, I wanted to be selfish and agree with you…But, Mr. Mera is right: you have a gift…Who am I to stand in the way of that?" she pauses, exhaling, "That letter…I was offered the principal role with the ballet…the one thing I've been working so hard for…but…"
"But you declined," he cuts in.
"Yeah," she says, still smiling.
"Why?"
She doesn't hesitate. "Because Gaara…you mean a lot to me… Three years. That's how long Mr. Mera said you would be studying under him…I don't want to lose you…Even if it means not realizing my dreams…I-I want it more than anything…"
His eyes widen.
"To go to Osaka with you…To be there for you."
Clutching the letters tightly, he braces himself on either side of the wall.
"Rin," he murmurs, moving his face closer to hers.
Time itself seems to freeze as his lips touch hers.
At once, all her hesitations vanish. Rin closes her eyes and allows herself to get lost in the kiss.
It's a soft, delicate dance, this kiss of theirs; nothing heated.
Rin feels the smooth, hard, texture of the wall against her back and the firmness of Gaara's body against hers. Neither one of them wants to release, for fear of completely losing the frail creature that is their kiss. Their lips never fully make contact; each fearing that the true essence of the act would be lost.
After what feels like an eternity, Gaara slowly pulls back.
Rin opens her eyes, staring at him.
That same look she had gotten a glimpse of last night is in his eyes once more. Instead of immediately leaving, it stays this time.
His usually pale face is flushed and tears seem to be gathering in his eyes; his entire body is shaking.
Rin slowly brings her small hand up to his face, caressing his jaw slowly.
He opens his mouth to say something but no words come out. Instead, a tear slowly drifts down his face before running down her arm.
His arms, braced on either side of her, wrap around her body; pulling her petite figure to his body… Gaara buries his face in her hair; clutching her tightly.
"Rin…"
