-Grinning very widely and happily. Nearly giddy.-
Ria: Uh oh... thats never good...
Hehehehehehehe...
Chapter Twenty Eight
Ria and Yuki were calmly standing at the window gazing out to the tower when suddenly her front door crashed open. Turing in unison both Ria and Yuki looked over their shoulders towards the person who'd barged into her home with surprise.
"Gaara," Ria smiled warmly, feeling the now familiar flip of her heart at the sight of him. Although this was a Gaara she'd never seen before. His pale face was flushed and he seemed to be out of breath at the moment while he stared at her.
Yuki's arm slipped away from her shoulders and they both turned to face him. Ria moved towards Gaara, still smiling, giddy to see him. She hadn't seen Gaara often the last few months, it almost seemed like he was trying to distance himself from her. "How are you?"
She stopped beside him, his gaze still fastened on Yuki. Hesitantly Ria reached out towards him and wasn't startled when he caught her hand in his and fastened those aqua eyes on her face.
"I'm fine," he replied quietly after a moment.
Ria smiled to him again, her fingers unconsciously curving over his hand, "you seem out of breath, would you like a cool drink?"
He nodded shortly and Ria walked to her enlarged western kitchen to retrieve some water for him.
When she came back both Yuki and Gaara were sitting down on the couches, Gaara still looking particularly perturbed and Yuki seeming particularly amused. What's going on between these two? Ria thought uncomfortably, smiling again as she passed the water glass to Gaara. She moved to sit in the nearby chair when Gaara reached out and tugged her onto the couch next to him.
Ria blinked a moment but settled back into the cushions and crossed her legs. Wait a second…is he…
"Ria was just showing me her new place. How do you like it Gaara?" Yuki asked, interrupting her thoughts.
Gaara stared at him mutely for a moment before answering softly, "She's lived up here for three years now. It is not so new anymore."
Yuki lifted a brow at the Kazekage, seemingly unpulsed by the younger man. "Oh. I hadn't realized you had been here that long already." He smiled warmly to Ria, "Everything is so well kept Ria," Ria lifted a brow at the odd enunciation he made on her name, "you would be a wonderful woman to have around the house."
Ria felt a blush creep over her face, slowly coloring her cheeks, "Ah… thank you Yuki…"
Gaara frowned at Yuki and took a long sip of his water, silence descending over the group.
"I haven't seen you since you were young Ria, you've grown into a very beautiful woman." Yuki smiled slowly as he laid his arms comfortably over the back of the couch.
Oh. My. God. Ria thought suddenly as her inner fan girl melted into a steaming pile of mush, He's flirting with me.
Gaara set the now empty glass of water on the coffee table a bit harshly, surprising Ria. "What brings you back to the village Soma-san?"
Sohma? Ria suddenly had a very large mental image of Yuki Sohma from one of her favorite animes from her old life. She quickly clapped a hand over her mouth. Her inner fan girl was rolling on the floor, displaying her mirth happily. Her sardonic side also popped into existence again muttering, Of course there is some odd irony here… where would we be otherwise? Mentally she swatted at the sardonic version of herself and used every ounce of control she had to keep from giggling aloud, I mustn't picture Yuki's head on Yuki Sohma's body again…Ria continued the mantra silently to herself trying her best not to betray herself with giggles.
"I was finished traveling. It was time to come home." Yuki said politely, his answering mirroring what he had told Ria earlier. "Plus," Yuki started, his eyes taking on a particularly teasing glint, "I was anxious to see Ria again," he turned his gaze on Ria again and gave her another heart-stopping slow smile, "I am very happy to be home."
Ria felt herself blushing despite the fact that she was completely and utterly positive Yuki had no attraction to her what so ever. He's up to something… she rolled her eyes briefly to herself, how could I forget… he's always up to something!
Gaara watched Yuki passively and stayed quiet for the rest of the visit, only speaking when Yuki or Ria asked him a question, but he stayed, which was surprising to Ria since he rarely hung around her for long periods of time anymore.
It nearing the evening when Yuki clapped his hands on his knees and pushed himself to his feet, "Alright. I had better get back to the house now. I heard there was a sandstorm coming in tonight and I want to be settled before it comes."
Gaara stood at the same time Ria did, "A sandstorm?"
Both Gaara and Yuki looked at her with evident surprise.
"What?" Ria asked a bit defensively, "How was I supposed to know?"
Both men clapped a hand to their heads and groaned in unison, making Ria blush in embarrassment from her ignorance.
Yuki's face took on a particularly mischievous look as Ria walked him to the door. He turned and suddenly slipped an arm, slowly, over her shoulders, shifting a little close for comfort. "Maybe," he drawled out the word huskily, "I should stay…" his finger twirled around a lock of her hair near her face, "we'd be locked inside until the storm passed and we could use the time to…. Catch up…" Yuki said in a seductive voice making Ria blush to her toes.
Suddenly Gaara was interposed between them, his arm locked around her waist, "That's alright Soma-san. I can stay and help Ria weather through the storm. No need to inconvenience yourself."
Ria could hardly believe what was happening. Gaara has his armaround me! Ohmygod! Her inner fan girl was wobbling around in a state of perpetual giddiness while Ria floundered in reality.
Yuki lifted his brows before huffing as if in deep regret, "Very well. I'll leave you to it then Kazekage." He bowed briefly before winking at Ria and striding out her door. Ria turned to stare at Gaara with wide eyes, breathless in his close proximity. He was staring at the closed door, nearly pouting.
Ria giggled nervously, still rattled by Gaara's arm still being anchored around her waist, "Uh… so… um… Gaara… is there anything… uh… we have to do…" his eyes turned from the door and looked into hers, making her more tongue-tied than she was a moment ago, "uh… that is… for the… uh…" her face turned all sorts of colors when she saw his eyes inadvertently drop to her mouth, feeling his fingers briefly curve around the edge of her waist, "th-th-the… the storm!" She laughed nervously again, her heart fluttering like a hummingbird caught in her chest, "do we have to do anything special for the, uh, storm?"
He looked back into her eyes again before he turned away, his arm slipping from his waist as he moved towards the window. Ria pressed her hand against her throat, feeling her sporadic pulse dance beneath her fingertips.
"Don't you have shutters for these windows?" He turned to face her, "didn't the carpenter install some for you?"
"Um…" Ria blinked trying to remember back to when she'd last spoken to the man, "I think so…"
Gaara turned and opened the window, ducking his head outside. Ria slowly lowered her hand as she walked up to him, watching him curiously.
He curved around the window, leaning further outside. With a flutter of panic Ria reached out and put a steadying hand on his hip and leg, to make sure he didn't fall out the window. At her touch he glanced back at her with surprise before giving her that soft smile she'd never seen him show anyone else, making her heart melt all over again.
"Thanks."
She felt herself turn bright red, "Y-your welcome…"
He looked back to her wall outside and shook something that gave a rattling, metallic sound. "You have shutters… but they don't seem to be manual shutters." He slid back inside, Ria yanked her hands back as he did, and turned to her, "did he give you some kind of remote? Or a special switch?"
"Uh…" Finally Ria vaguely remembered a remote she'd found on the counter when she'd moved in. She hadn't known what it was so she'd shoved it into a random drawer in her kitchen.
Striding to the kitchen she opened and closed her drawers until she found her hardware drawer and dug through it, she'd just uncovered the remote, still in its plastic package, when Gaara startled her again.
"Did you find it?" He asked innocently over her shoulder, his breath tickling her ear and making her heart start hammering again.
Grabbing it quickly she spun around, leaning backwards against the counter as she did, effectively closing the drawer, and held it up between them. "H-here it is!"
Gaara gave her a peculiar look before slowly taking the remote from her hand. Taking a step forward he came even closer making Ria's face flame hotter and her heart pound harder. If I move at all I'll be pressed up against him…Ria thought, her mind swimming as he melted her senses.
He casually reached around her and pulled a knife from her butchers block. Still standing alarmingly close to her he efficiently sliced the package open and returned the knife to its slot. He watched her with a puzzled expression while his deft fingers plied the package open, "Are you ok?"
"Uh-huh…" oh yeah… I'm doing fine…Ria thought with a wobbly smile, just a little thrown off by the proximity of you my love…Ria started at the thought, oh jeez! How bad is that?
Already thinking of him as yours then huh? Ria's sardonic side added, "My love…" it mocked playfully, making Ria thoroughly squish it mentally. Shut up!
Gaara turned away and threw the plastic wrapping away on his way out of the kitchen. She watched him as he passed the bar and back into the living room before pressing the switch and making the shutters cling and clang as they motored closed.
Swallowing back her nervousness Ria walked towards the living room as it was quickly plunged into darkness. It seemed all of the windows were closing at the same time. She hurried over to the sofa side lamp and quickly turned it on, illuminating the living room.
"It's a good thing we closed them the storm looked to be brewing and should start," there was an odd scraping sound outside the window against the shutters, "right about now." Gaara set the remote down and closed the window. "We won't be able to leave until after the storm is over."
"How long do the storms usually last?" Ria asked as she sat down onto the couch.
Gaara turned and leant back against the window sill, watching her quietly, "Usually just a few hours but from what my weather watchers said this morning they expect it to last the evening."
Ohmygod! I'm gonna be alone with Gaara all night long? Her inner fan girl danced around in giddy delight, cheering as loudly as Ria herself wanted to. I am the luckiest friggin' girl ever right now!
"Oh. I see." She said, not exposing her true happiness.
Gaara watched her quietly, an odd expression on his face that made Ria's belly do an odd flip.
"Uh… have you had dinner? I can make us some dinner." Ria jumped jerkily to her feet and headed towards the kitchen.
She busied herself in the kitchen, chattering some type of nonsense constantly as she did so. Gaara quietly left the window and sat down on a stool on the other side of her kitchen bar and watched her flutter about the kitchen.
She narrowed her mind onto the task of cooking the chicken fried rice to perfection while she continued blabbering on about inconsequential things, filling the air with nonsense. Soon enough she dropped a full, steaming bowl in front of Gaara and placed a bottle of soy sauce on the counter as well.
She turned and retrieved a pair of chop sticks, she'd had to get used to those in a very short amount of time, and poured Gaara a cup of cold tea to go with his dinner. When she turned she froze in place as she saw him.
Gaara had lifted the bowl and was taking his first bite of her meal, but that wasn't what had caught her attention. He had also sometime while she was cooking the meal removed the outer coat of his uniform and draped it over the couch, leaving him in a snug, sleeveless undershirt and, she assumed since she couldn't see them, his black uniform slacks.
"Oh. This is really good." He looked up and smiled again to her, "Thank you for dinner Ria."
Ria instantly beamed in his praise and floated over to him, setting the glass of tea near him, "I'm glad you like it Gaara."
She made herself a bowl and walked out of the kitchen and sat beside him. They ate together in silence, occasionally glancing at each other and smiling. Once they were finished Ria just put the dishes in the sink and rinsed them, leaving them to wash for later.
They settled onto a couch afterward, the wind howling outside her window, the sand scraping against the shutters. Somehow they managed to get onto the topic of Kankuro and Tsubame.
"She really seems to be actively interested in him since then," Ria said, a laugh in her voice.
"Yeah, it only took him four years to get her to think of him that way," Gaara replied smiling to her. "Now he's gone beyond being a lovesick idiot and turned into a besotted puppy."
Ria laughed, wrinkling her nose at him, "Well it has been a long time in coming. I'm glad Tsubame finally got over her shyness and agreed to go on a date with him. Even Hana was starting to get exasperated over the whole thing!"
Gaara chuckled softly, shifting his position on the couch, his arm bent over the top of the couch, his leg curved onto the cushion as he faced her, "Temari was going insane too. She's the one that had to listen to his horrible poetry before he dared send any to her." Ria laughed outright trying to picture Kankuro at a desk writing away, Gaara joined her laughter and Ria unconsciously shifted on the couch and leant a bit forward, her voice lowering to conspiring whisper. "How horrible was it? Was it truly bad?"
He grinned and leant a bit farther in, his voice echoing her soft whisper, "Worse than you can imagine in your worst nightmares. I only managed to escape by pleading the fifth on knowing a woman's mind much less her heart!"
Ria laughed lightly, watching as his eyes danced with amusement.
"So of course after I said that he immediately wanted to get a woman's opinion."
"So he went to Temari." They said at the same time, both bursting into another short burst of laughter.
Ria was grinning, her cheeks flushed from laughing when Gaara tilted his head at her, a half smile on his face. Their chuckles quieted as they stared at each other and slowly Gaara lifted his hand to cup the side of her face, releasing a swarm of butterflies in her stomach.
She nearly held her breath as he leant a little closer, his eyes fastened on hers. Her fingers curled into the fabric of the couch, gripping it suddenly. Please…she thought to herself, as if she could silently broadcast it to him, please…
Ria felt her eyelids become heavy as they dropped a little. He was close enough to her that their breath mingled and their noses nearly touched. Ria swallowed, her eyes dropping to his mouth. He has a lovely mouth…
Her eyes slowly lifted back upwards until she met his gaze again, the softest expression was in his eyes, something more meaningful than anything she'd seen from him before. Her lips parted in the softest of surprised gasps as his thumb made a gentle trail across her cheek.
He moved the tiniest bit closer and Ria felt her lids drop a fraction lower, her heart racing frantically in her chest as his breath warmed her lips in soft puffs. She was hardly aware of the soft inarticulate noise she made as he inched the tiniest bit forward again, his lips barely brushing hers. Her lids dropped the last bit, closing her eyes, and in two breaths he gently pressed his mouth against hers in the sweetest first kiss she'd ever experienced.
His lips were soft and dry, she could taste the faintest trace of the salty soy sauce on them. The contact made an shock thread its way slowly down her spine, making her body shiver in response. He renewed the kiss, sending another shower of sparks through her body.
His other hand lifted to cup the other side of her face and Ria unconsciously tilted her head, deepening the kiss. She felt her brows furrow as her heart threatened to explode from the feelings he was invoking in her by his kiss. He was a most sensual kisser.
His hands slid down her cheeks to her throat, leaving a wake of heat in their passing as his fingers continued to slide down over her shoulders and down her side. Her arms lifted and curved around his neck as she returned his kiss and slanted her head the other direction while she knelt on the couch. His hands slid around her back, pulling her towards him as he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close while they kissed.
They kissed until they were breathless.
They stared until they moved to one another again.
They kissed again and again and again, all the while the wind howled and the sand scraped silkily in the background against the metal shutters.
Are you grinning as much as I am now? Hehehe. -Snickers-
