Ange Clair
Chapter 29
Reunion: Sune Returns!
It was a warm summer morning in the Sand Village as everyone started their day. Yesterday Gaara got a letter from Sune that said it was her last letter since she would arrive back in the village in one week during the evening from when the letter had been dated and sent. The letter was sent one week ago now. All of Sune's belonging had already been moved from the Kazekage building to the manor. Today one of the guest rooms was being prepared for her parents.
Gaara was pacing around his office while neglecting his work until the time he, his siblings, and Cholandra would go to the village gates to wait on Sune's arrival. Sune's cat, Bo, was on Gaara's desk also pacing around as he followed and watched the young Kazekage.
Gaara told himself to be calm and patient before he turned to look at the clock. Still eight more hours until her arrival. He dropped his head as he sighed impatiently and sat back in his chair to do at least a little work. He went through only a couple mission reports before he noticed Bo get up from his napping place on the desk looking up curiously with his ears perked. Bo got up and ran to the door as it opened and leapt into Sune's arms.
Gaara stared at Sune as she cuddled the happy Bo. She looked at him and stepped into the room, leaving the door open behind her as she always would and smiled warmly, "Hello Stranger." Gaara realized that he hadn't even moved since she entered and he stood up so quickly that his chair fell backwards. She laughed softly as he looked back at the chair and quickly put it back. "Aren't you going to greet me?" Sune asked after letting Bo go and opening her arms to him.
He got the clue, "You're early," he stated as went around his desk to her.
"I wanted to surprise you," Sune said before he hugged her and she wrapped her arms around his neck.
He purposely smelled her hair to make sure it was really her before letting go. "Welcome back," he said.
"Thanks, I'm glad to be back," she smiled. Sune then noticed that Gaara changed over the last six months. First of all he was actually smiling, and not just for a brief second at a time. She also noticed how much he grew as her head was tilted up more than she remembered. "You got taller!" she exclaimed.
Gaara blinked confused for a moment, "I guess a little," he said, not minding since he had always been kind of short. "You've grown as well," he noted. She turned away blushing. It was true, she had a slightly fuller figure with longer hair, wider hips that made her waist and legs look slimmer, and what was left of her childhood roundness was gone giving her a leaner and more womanly face. Gaara laughed softly at her embarrassment and wrapped his arms around her shoulders pulling her back against him, "I did not mean to embarrass you, I meant you look beautiful," he said, "Again, welcome back, you were missed."
She turned around so she could hug him again. "I missed you too," she said about to kiss him until Bo meowed next to them, she laughed, "And you too," she said to Bo. "I missed everyone."
Kankuro stepped into the room, "Gaara, there's a meet-" he stopped looking at Sune as she let go of Gaara and he grinned, "Hey you're back!" he exclaimed, "The trip back must have been pretty mild to make it back so soon."
Sune shrugged and smiled, "I kinda rushed ahead," Sune blushed. "My parents will be here soon."
"There is a guest room prepared for them at the manor," Gaara told her.
"Oh yeah, I forgot that it was finished," Sune said, "I can't wait to see it."
Temari's voice was then heard from the hallway, "Kankuro, I thought you were going to get Gaara, and Cholandra is here!" she yelled before stepping into the room with Cholandra right behind her.
This is about when the shrieks and screams of excitement and greeting from all three girls began. Gaara and Kankuro covered their ears and cringed unable to bare the high pitched voices of their sister and girlfriends. It became even worse as Raven and Suki showed up and added to the noise. Gaara could swear that those two were screaming just for the heck of it as they disappeared again as soon as it stopped.
After the greetings and hugs were finished, Sune's parents arrived and she introduced them to everyone. Sune's mother practically jumped on Gaara in order to hug him as he just stood there stiffly with a surprised expression.
"Mom! You promised not do that, you're scaring him!" Sune said to her mother as she pulled away from the still shocked Kazekage and laughed and apologized. Gaara was expecting a handshake at the most like her father soon did.
After a little talking, Gaara said that he had to leave for a short meeting with a couple other council members. Temari offered to show them the house and their rooms as well as give them a tour until Gaara returned. Before Gaara left he used his sand to teleport their luggage to the manor before disappearing himself. Kankuro went with Cholandra to take her back to the academy.
~~~ Kazekage Manor ~~~
As they stood outside waiting to open the gates leading to the front courtyard Sune could hardly believe that she was going to be living at such a nice place. The house had a large entry way and she could see an office right next to it before she was led up stairs after getting her bags that were already next to the stairs waiting. Temari pointed out her own room if they needed anything, as well as Kankuro's room and Shikamaru's room for when he was visiting. They continued down the hall and past many doorways that seemed to just be unoccupied rooms until she pointed out Gaara's room a few doors from where they were standing and then led Sune's parents into a room before leading Sune into the room next that one.
Sune stood silently in awe before setting her bags down and placing her purse on the small table next to the door and then exploring the spacious room. The floor was wooden with patterned rugs around the room. One bigger rug was under a somewhat large canopy bed that had many pillows and matching luxurious white and pastel purple sheets and white bed curtains. Another medium rug was in a sitting area that had a couple cushy chairs and a coffee table that already had a vase of purple crocus flowers, her favorite, and a small note hanging from them saying 'Welcome home, from Gaara'. Sune stopped to smell the flowers before continuing to look around the room. A long rug was in front of the wardrobe and mirror, and it extended so it was also in front of the doors to her closet and bathroom. There was a desk in one corner of the room that was turned so when she sat behind it she would be facing the rest of the room. To the side of the bed near one of the nightstands was the same vanity that was in her room in the Kazekage building. There was also the small television she had got for herself with the same stand that had wheels so she could move it around anywhere in the room. The windows were tall with long flowing curtains that also hung in front of the glass doors leading to a balcony outside the room.
Deciding to go outside later, Sune moved towards the bathroom. The bathroom had marble-looking counters with a clean white vessel sink and a long tall mirror along the wall of the counter. The walk-in shower had tinted obscured glass sliding doors for privacy. Along the far wall of the bathroom was a raised section of floor with a couple steps leading up onto it and a large tub was built into the platform, much like an in ground bathtub. The platform included a toiletry/linen closet already stocked with toilet paper and fresh towels. As Sune left the bathroom, after using it since she needed to go anyway, she made note that the laundry hamper was also in there and she found another one in the walk in closet. The wardrobe next to the closet mostly held her ninja gear while the closet itself had the nicer clothes she left behind already hung up or sorted into drawers.
Figuring that Sune had plenty of time, she started to put away her things. She put her diary in the desk drawer, her clothes in the closet, her medical books on the shelves near the desk, and put her toiletries in the bathroom. After she emptied her bags she put them in the back of closet and found a box of the other smaller items she left behind. It had things like pictures, mementoes, medical items, various cosmetics, and other random things. She took out some of the pictures and placed them around the room and even put her cosmetics and medical items away before deciding to leave the rest in the box in the closet.
After that Sune was standing the middle of the spacious room. One thought popped into her head so she looked around to make sure nobody was watching then she giggled to herself before running and jumping on the bed and hopped on it a few times before letting herself fall onto it and sink into the fluffy comforter and sheets. "I can't believe this is my room!" she laughed rolling around on the bed.
"I'm glad you like it," Temari laughed from the doorway making Sune jump.
After Sune finished blushing she stood up, "Did you pick out all this stuff?" Sune asked.
"Nope," Temari said, "Gaara did."
"Really?" Sune asked looking around again, the room was bright and eloquent. "No way," Sune said in disbelief.
"No really," Temari reassured. "In fact once the house was finished being built, he took care of most of the furnishing, all out of his own pocket too."
Then Sune's parents came in and asked Sune if she was ready for the tour. With that they left to see the rest of the house. All of which impressed Sune and her parents, mainly with the living room, bonus/wreck room, dining room, and kitchen. Then they stopped and sat back in the living room to talk while they waited for Gaara to return.
"So Temari," Sune started, "When is Shikamaru going to visit again?"
"I dunno yet, I'm going to visit in Konoha next," Temari shrugged.
"When?" Sune asked.
"Whenever Shikamaru's duties lighten up again, that might not be for a while," Temari explained.
Kankuro then came in and sat next to Sune. "Hey everyone, so what do you think of the place?" he asked.
"It's really nice," Sune smiled. "Where's Gaara?"
"He'll be here soon," he said just before Gaara appeared with his sand.
"Hey," Sune greeted going to him.
"Did you get settled in?" he asked.
"Yes," she nodded. "I put my things away as well."
"Do you like your room?" he asked.
"Sure do, it's fit for a princess," Sune smiled. "And thank you, I hope you didn't go out of your way though."
He blinked, "Nothing is out of the way for you, you deserve to be treated like a princess."
"You're just saying that," she crossed her arms but still smiled.
"I would not lie to you," he reminded.
"And if you did I would find out," she put her hands on her hips to teasingly threaten him.
"Ahem," Kankuro exaggerated to get their attention. "If you two are done flirting, I believe it's almost time to eat."
"That's right," Temari added, "Would you like to help cook Sune?"
"Of course, come on Mom, you're helping too," Sune agreed and her mother followed leaving the guys to themselves.
"Sooo…" Kankuro started nervously trying to start some conversation, but nothing happened.
Gaara stood up, "I have to get changed," he said leaving the room and leaving Kankuro alone with Sune's father. It was silent until he returned only a few minutes later and it continued to stay silent as Gaara simply picked up a newspaper from the table to read. Kankuro looked at Gaara, reading, then he looked at Sune's father, also reading, finally he looked at the clock and realized it was time to get Cholandra and left hurriedly to get away from the awkward silence.
In the kitchen, the girls were enjoying some girl talk. Temari asked Sune if she had kissed Gaara yet since she got back. Sune told her that they were about to once but got interrupted before asking why she wanted to know.
"Oh, well about a month ago I got Gaara and Kankuro a bunch of hygiene cosmetic guy stuff and I wanted to see if you noticed if he was using them," Temari explained.
Sune shook her head indicating that she didn't notice, "What kind of stuff?"
"Let see," Temari started trying to remember. "Just some cologne, chap stick, shaving stuff, that shower moisturizer stuff, and mints," she said. "I think Kankuro ate all the mints already and Gaara put his in his office."
"What a good idea, I should have done that a long time ago," Sune's mother said. The girls laughed.
~~~ Later ~~~
At dinner there was much more talking and chatter with everyone there enjoying the meal. Afterwards Temari said she would clean up and then head back to the Kazekage building to finish up some work she left behind earlier.
"Gaara?" Sune started.
"Hn?"
"Could we watch a movie or something? I haven't vegged out in front of a television in months."
"Of course, in fact I thought you might have wanted to do that so Kankuro and I picked up some movies for you to pick from."
Sune picked a new adventure movie and pulled Gaara over to a loveseat to cuddle even though he kept scooting away from her until he realized what she was doing. Cholandra cuddled with Kankuro in a reclining chair he claimed as theirs, while Sune's parents got the couch.
By the end of the movie Sune had fallen asleep, it was still early to go to bed but she had an eventful day to tire her. A little bit after the movie ended Gaara carried her upstairs and to her room with her father following silently. He set her down on her bed carefully and pulled a blanket over her before stepping away.
"I remember doing that when she was little," her father reminisced. "She always insisted on staying up with me and her mother to help us work."
"She likes helping people, especially the people she cares about," Gaara noted as he wondered where her father was going with this. Gaara looked over to Sune as she stirred slightly in her sleep. "Is there something you would like to speak with me about?" he asked her father, he already knew the answer and what it was about.
He nodded, "You know, I spent hours racking my brain trying to figure out something I could say to you, a threat of some sort that you would acknowledge and understand concerning your relationship with my daughter," he said as Gaara listened silently. "Finally I decided to keep it plain and simple since you probably already thought this." It was quiet before he continued, "In your position I understand there is a lot of potential danger, just don't let Sune get hurt."
"I understand," Gaara said. "As the Kazekage I am in a position of power, power that others may want or see destroyed. If someone wanted to get to me, Sune would become a prime target. I will protect her with my life to keep something like that from happening to her."
"That's not the only thing," her father added making Gaara look at him questioningly. "To keep her from being hurt, you have to protect your own life as well. If you died I don't know how she'd be able handle that."
"Of course," Gaara said quietly.
"Oh and uh, don't break her heart, and keep your hands to yourself young man," her father then laughed.
Gaara smirked, "Right," he said before they left the room.
The door latched and Sune opened her eyes, she heard the whole thing. "Don't worry, I can protect myself too," she said, "But something tells me that you already know that Gaara."
