A/N: We're starting to get to the niddy griddy from this chapter. Things are gonna start hitting a climax soon, which probably means an end. Sad, but inevitable. It's still quite a few chapters away, but with this one everything is gonna start changing. Although I guess technically that started last chapter with Maki's death and all, but why get technical? I'm actually excited because I like the ending to this story a lot.
The song is Never Alone by Barlowgirl
Read. Review. Well actually, you're already reading, so just review please. I haven't asked in the previous chapters, and was okay watching how many read, followed and favorited (which is awesome that people have put it in their favorites, thank you) but some feedback of some kind would occasionally be nice. Although, please don't flame and whine. Those are just annoying. Thank you!
"Lord Kazekage," Aoi spoke as she slowly entered his office.
Gaara's green eyes looked up from his desk a moment then back down, "Yes Aoi?"
She stood in front of his desk, watching him write and read papers, "I just thought I should let you know that Princess Setsuko has been sneaking out every night for the past week."
He stopped writing after hearing her words, slowly looking up at her with the same stoic expression as always, "I know."
"You do sir?" she questioned, curious as to how he knew.
He leaned back in his chair a little, "It seems she has a desire to go on missions."
Aoi looked at him in shock, "Sir? That's ridiculous! Does she realize how dangerous that is?! She could get herself killed and if that happens under our watch…"
"Things could indeed get complicated," he finished, lacing his fingers together in front of his mouth.
"Lord Kazekage!" a young man shouted as he burst through the door.
Gaara looked over Aoi's shoulder to look at him, 'What is it?"
"Lady Setsuko has received word from home. It's marked as urgent," he said as he handed Gaara the scroll.
Taking the scroll, he looked it over, "Alright, Aoi, summon the Princess."
"Yes sir," she said with a bow and disappeared.
It was a long wait before Setsuko came walking through his office doors. She looked as if she were just relaxing at home in her simple cream colored summer dress. It was a tone that didn't even come close to matching her pale skin, which only made it stand out all that much more. Her hair was done in a messy ponytail with strands falling to frame her face. She didn't look to be in serious condition from all her late night runaways from the village, hiding her secret well.
"You wished to see me?" she questioned as she walked up to his desk.
Turning to face her, the moonlight shining from behind him, "Yes, you received a scroll from home."
Her eyes widened happily, "What? Really?!" she asked with an excited squeal. He handed the scroll to her with which she readily opened.
He remained silent as he watched her read the contents written to her. It was sudden when the temperature dropped drastically in the room. Gaara noticed that her normally elegant posture disappeared and she hung her head low enough that he could no longer see her face. Even he couldn't help the shiver that ran down his spine from the bone chilling cold in his office. Had something happened? Getting up from his seat, he walked towards her only to have her back away. Looking down at her hands, he watched as she clenched the paper tightly, crumpling it. Something must have happened to garnish such a reaction. Suddenly she looked up, surprising him a little. Her normal posture returned and a look of calm covered her face.
"Thank you." That was all she said before dropping the scroll and walking out of his office calmly.
Watching her retreating back silently, he looked down at his feet when the door had closed. Picking up the scroll, he allowed his curiosity to get the better of him and opened it. Reading it, he was filled with shock. There had been a battle at the castle that left the courtyard in utter disaster, Captain Hui had disappeared and this Maki person had been murdered. To get such a reaction, this person must have meant something to her. Placing the scroll on his desk, he grabbed the gourd that leaned again the wall and left to follow Setsuko. It was none of his business but at the same time he felt a compulsion to make her feel better.
It wasn't long after having arrived back at her hotel room that Setsuko heard a knock on the door. She was still leaning against it as the person knocked. Why were they bothering her now? Of all times. All she wanted was to be left alone! All she needed was some alone time to figure out what was going on and what to do next. That was all she needed. Why couldn't they understand that? Her head rested against the door, the knocking echoing in her ears but never hearing it. Staring up at the dull ceiling, her empty eyes never truly saw the ceiling. Setsuko wanted nothing more than to close herself off from the world, never to be seen again. She wanted to return to the icy blizzards of her home and sit on her balcony to watch the shards crash against mountainsides. She wanted to be anywhere but here.
She wasn't allowed to show emotions. They were unbecoming of a princess and future queen. She always had to be proper and keep her emotions in check to effectively rule her kingdom. If emotions clouded her judgment, her kingdom would fall to chaos. Finally her head fell forward, allowing for her long, luscious blonde locks to curtain her face. Who was she kidding? She was nothing like them. She was eighteen for crying out loud! Emotion was all she knew. Yet still, she needed to be composed in front of others. She could mourn by herself. As she slowly brought her head up, eyes still empty, she could finally hear the knocking again.
Setsuko slowly opened the door, "Yes?" Her voice was calm, maybe too calm for the situation.
Gaara walked in without a word, brushing past her and placing the scroll on the coffee table. There was a long silence before he spoke, "I hope you don't mind, but I read it."
"Oh…" she paused as she slowly closed the door, "No, I don't mind." She turned and walked towards him, trying not to be rude.
Gaara crossed his arms across his chest, "If I may, who was this Maki?" He watched as she visibly flinched at his name.
"He was…he was a solider under Hui's command. Actually, he was her student in kenjutsu…" she paused again, taking in a deep breath through her nose and slowly exhaling. "He was a nice man. Always making sure I was okay, but then again it was his job. He was a fine soldier. He cared very deeply for his comrades."
"I see…" Gaara let the silence between them swell, thinking to himself.
He noticed that she never once mentioned his name. There had to be a reason for it. Was it because she cared for this Maki guy? He also couldn't help but notice the obvious; she was acting just like him. Setsuko showed no emotion whatsoever. That wasn't normal for her, he knew that much. In the time she had been here, it was nothing but emotions running wild; like having a slightly calmer Naruto around. So why? Why was she acting like she didn't care?
"He must not have meant that much if you can't even shed a tear for him," he said, finally cutting the silence.
Green eyes watched as she jumped slightly from the sound of his voice. It was a moment later that her head shot up, a look of frustrated anger on her face, "What do you know?! You don't anything about him, or me!"
Setsuko shut her eyes tight and spun around on her heels, running towards the door. Flinging it open, it slammed against the wall as she ran out, leaving Gaara standing in the room by himself and a little startled by the outburst. The startled look soon faded from his features as he stood in quiet for a good long while. It had been his intention to stir her emotions because he knew holding them in was no good. However, he did not expect such an outburst. Then again, what he had said was maybe a little cruel. Sighing to himself, he began to make his way out of the room. He should go apologize.
Gaara searched for hours, the early night finally turning to dark, and yet he still hadn't been able to find her. Looking through the village, there was no sign of the Princess who stood out against the crowd of desert dwellers. It wasn't until he noticed a strange silhouette sitting atop the canyon walls that he found her. Turning to look over his shoulder, he saw the faintest of figures; one that looked like Setsuko. Trying to figure out if it was indeed her, a nightly desert wind blew through the village. He watched as the figure's long, pale blonde hair blow around their small body that he was sure it was her. Quietly, he made his way up the canyon and as he got closer he could hear one of the most beautiful voices he had ever heard singing.
"I needed you today. So where did you go? You told me to call. Said you'd be there. And though I haven't seen you, are you still there? I cried out with no reply, and I can't feel you by my side. So I'll hold tight to what I know. You're here, and I'm never alone," tears ran freely down pale cheeks as her voice died away. The sweet, sad and haunting melody somehow brought comfort to Gaara. He watched silently as she looked up at the full moon, another gust of wind blowing through her long locks and more tears flowing down her face.
He was almost afraid to say anything. Silently, he sat down beside her, not bothering to look at her, "…That was a bitter sweet song."
She slowly closed her eyes, taking in a shaky breath and oddly enough, a smile slowly slid across her pink lips, "Thanks. Someone used to sing it to me when I was little." Her voice cracked and she had no choice but to clear her throat.
"Who was he?" Gaara asked, even though he knew the last time he asked she had yelled at him.
Setsuko looked down at her hands, everything still blurry from her tears. A fresh wave sprang forth and she could feel her throat starting to hurt from trying to hold them back. "Do you remember the other night when I started to tell you about an old legend in my village?"
It had been a while since the night she was talking about but the memory still ran through his mind, "Yes."
"Well, the legend is about a giant cryophoenix named Yukiuta. The legend goes that, Aisugakure was founded by Yukiuta who ruled over the mountain tops. She commanded all that is cold. Although a technical demon bird, Yukiuta was a kind and gentle soul who actually wanted to live in harmony with man. The first people to ever inhabit the northern mountains were the ones to build Aisugakure, with the help of Yukiuta. It's said she created True Ice, ice that never melts and is impervious to most damage, to defend ourselves with. Our homes are even built with her True Ice; well, most of them. But, as it happens, those with power feel they need more. The first family stole Yukiuta's power during her rebirthing cycle, separating them into two entities. The first family took the power, placing it within themselves so that their heirs would always be powerful, while Yukiuta's body was weakened and left severely damaged. She vowed to get revenge on the first family when he body and powers finally merged back." Setsuko paused, looking up from her hands and finally letting her gaze rest on the red head that sat beside her.
He nodded, "Power consumes…" He knew the feeling well. While he never craved more power than he had, he already had enough power that he didn't want anymore.
"Anyways, it's unclear when, or how, but the entire royal family was eventually wiped out. It's said the merging that was supposed to happen, never did. There's speculation that their own power hungry greed corrupted the power inside of them causing them to freeze the very blood that ran through their veins, killing them…" she was about to continue when Gaara cut in with his curiosity.
"But how can that be if you're the Princess?" he sat back a little, leaning on his hands for support and looking up at the moon. "If the entirety of the royal family was erased, how can there be a Princess?"
She chuckled lightly, turning her gaze back to her hands that played with the dress she was wearing. "That's because I'm not." She felt his eyes upon her almost immediately. "I was born very low on my clan's hierarchy. My mother was a famous ninja in our village, but that didn't allow us to climb any social ladders. But with the decimation of the royal family, the two halves of Yukiuta that were once hosted in the royal family and villagers alike, are now randomly chosen by the entities themselves. One person could be given the power of Yukiuta, which would make them immediate royalty. While one, could have her body and no one would ever know."
"I see, so then are you born with this power, or given it afterwards?" he asked, truly curious about this custom he never knew existed.
"I was four, living all alone in an orphanage on the outskirts of my village. I was actually a pretty lonely kid. I never spoke much, or interacted with people. Always bullied and made fun of; kids would always whisper about me behind my back. I was that new kid that no one ever likes at first. Unlike most of the kids there, I knew at least one of my parents and they hated me for it. Well, in that first year I saw a snowflake falling towards me. It's always snowing so normally I wouldn't think much of it, but this particular snowflake was glowing. It hovered in front of my face for a moment before disappearing into my body and now…." she paused as she bit lightly into her bottom lip. Her hands rubbed together before slowly opening and she blew into her hands, instantly spreading snow over the village.
Gaara watched the snowflakes float over Suna, giving the night covered village an almost snow globe mysticism about it. "Why did you become the ruler?"
For the moment her eyes watched the snow drift through the desert wind with such childlike delight, they returned to the sorrow laced look he had seen most of the night, "I didn't have a choice. Once word got back to the palace that they had found where the power was, I was whisked away to learn how to rule and…become this. And I had to leave him behind…"
"Who?" Gaara was more curious now. She had just said that she didn't have any friends from the orphanage, so who could she be talking about?
She was hesitant at first, almost embarrassed to say anything since it was a secret they kept. But could it really hurt to say something now? "Maki. He lived at the orphanage with me. In fact, he was there about a year before I was." Her piercing, bright blues welled with tears again as she let herself get lost in memories.