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Before we start…I would just like to give a thank you and blessing to these few fellow writers of mine who stuck through this story and motivated me with kind words to continue even when I was on a year of hiatus. They never forgot about this story and of me.
Lady Septimus
Koolkat44
Bekkivobekki
Gaarahugger
Yang-panda
Ndae
Inazumen Kaiten
Vanesserz
Thanks sweethearts, You all have really kept me going
I hope you all enjoy and leave a genuine review!
With all the love in the world
Faith McCune Callaway
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"Yue…" Gaara called softly to her as he trailed invisibly behind her. "Yue..Yue you have to stop or you won't be able to go on.."
Yue had been walking and walking on for miles in various turns and different paths. Gaara had assumed that she would be returning to her little wretched hut that she called shelter; nevertheless, she just continued to walk.
She looked exhausted, but her wellbeing didn't appear to matter. Instead, her relentless walking seemed to be like endless searching for something, someone, or somewhere.
Gaara didn't understand it.
What is she looking for…
The daylight was fading into the sunset. Gaara knew it was going to be dark in a matter of time, but he couldn't stop her from walking. He technically was just a spirit resting in the darkest corners of her failing existence.
Gaara continued to stare at her back as he followed behind her until she suddenly stopped to kneel down to the ground.
She must have sensed that the sun was about to set.
Yue stuck out her finger to start drawing something in the dirt while staring blankly at the same time.
The Kazekage was confused at what she was doing. He came around her to see more clearly. He knelt down in front of her to observe.
Her pictures that she drew in the dirt appeared to be similar to a map. She began to write the names in certain areas.
At that moment, Gaara realize everything. He understood why she didn't stop to rest, and chose to continue in her never-ending steps. He now knew why she looked as though she wanted to find something, searching for something.
The names she wrote on her pictures in the dirt were the names of the villages. The lines that she traced onto her picture map were routes and paths that she was trying to remember.
Yue traced line after line through each various villages until she stopped at her village.
Sunagakure..
Her finger paused at The Sand Village on her picture map to stare longingly at it.
Gaara looked up from the map so he could look into her still-beautiful face; it was blank.
"It's been so long…I don't remember how to get home…" Yue said out loud in mono-toned, thinking she was just talking to herself.
Her words took The Kazekage by surprised as his eyes widened in despair in further realizing that all Yue wanted was to be safely at home.
She was just trying to look for a way back to me..
"But then again…" Yue suddenly whispered to herself. "Would The Kazekage let me go home…?"
"Yes I would. Yue, Yes I would…" The Kazekage tried to speak to her even though he knew that she couldn't hear him.
Even though he had said so, he started to remember back during those inital months where she had left Sunagakure. His anger and resentment toward his wife was so deep that he knew that he had intended to never see her again.
Gaara stared at his wife in guilt, for even Yue knew that he hated her at one point as well.
Yue gave up her delusional search for Sunagakure. She stood up from her spot to turn around, and started in the direction of her hut.
The Kazekage watched on in pity. Every ounce of his being wanted to reach out to let her know he was there. He wanted desperately to let her feel his touch, to let her know that he was the one that was at fault all along.
"Yue…" Gaara called as he started to follow… "Yue…" He said her name again while getting closer.
"Yue!" The Kazekage shouted as caught up completely to her, and opened his arms wide to embrace her from behind.
He expected to fall through Yue like he did before, yet when Gaara slowly opened his eyes, he found himself standing. His arms held Yue's figure close to himself, she was so close and so real that he could smell her scent from her hair.
The whole impact took Yue by surprise when she felt someone suddenly had their arms around her. She instantly thought to the worse, but the aura was familiar. The presence felt safe.
Gaara shakily, but hastily turned Yue around to face him. Her eyes were as wide as his.
"Y-Yue…" The Kazekage breathed. His hands scrambled up to hold her face. "Tell me you can see me."
Yue didn't respond. She couldn't, she didn't know if she was hallucinating or if Gaara was really standing in front of her.
The Kazekage gave her face a little shake when she didn't respond. "Tell me! Tell me Yue!"
It frightened Yue, but she nodded her head while staring into his eyes.
"I know that you're confused…but I'm here! I'll stay here in this world if it's what you want! I won't go anywhere anymore!" Gaara was about to say more; however, out of nowhere he felt a sudden internal pull.
He had to steady himself for a moment, until he realized what was happening. His chakra was low from either transferring it to Yue or just simply he was low in chakra from the start.
The Kazekage looked desperately into Yue's now tear-filled eyes, "No! No! This can't be happening!"
Gaara tried his hardest with all his concentration to hold onto this moment, and not slip back into reality, yet he felt himself being pulled from that world.
Gaara! GAARA DO YOU HEAR ME?!
His eyes widened further when he recognized that voice to be Naruto. "Naruto! Naruto, leave it be! Let us be!" Gaara yelled into the air.
Suddenly, a gust of wind fanned toward The Kazekage while the sky darkened even further with grey clouds. The gust was so strong that it made Gaara let go of Yue, and pulled him back off his feet just as he felt another tug from this world.
As his conscience was slipping from her memory, he felt his body lift from the ground to be pulled away by the wind.
"No! Yue!" Gaara called out in a panic. He desperately wanted to be with her longer.
The Kazekage held his hand out for her as he began to float away. "Yue! Go home! I want you to go home!" He wanted to let her know that her doubts of him not letting her go back to Sunagakure were wrong.
She will always be apart of his family, and Sunagakure would always be her home.
Yue watched helplessly with tear spilled eyes. She staggered after Gaara with her hands trying to make a grab for him, but it was no good, he was rapidly being taken away.
The poor girl found herself running after him just as droplets from the sky started to drench the earth.
"Stay with me…!"
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Gaara? Gaara, are you all right?
"Gaara?" Naruto called to the unconscious Kazekage. He was starting to worry for his friend because he was the only one that was not awake.
His worries began to lessen when he started to notice Gaara coming alive. The Kazekage eyes abruptly shot open as he gasped aloud.
Gaara looked up at the sky and around. It was reality, which only served to make him angry.
He looked around for faces to only find Naruto's. His eyes darted to him directly in resentment. He sat up and clawed at Naruto's collar so he could pull him onto his feet. "I TOLD YOU TO LEAVE US BE."
Naruto tried to pry Gaara's hand off his collar, "Gaara calm down! Let me explain!"
The Kazekage clenched his fist harder, "I was with her. I was fine; I wanted to stay in that world with her. YOU CHEATED THAT FROM ME!"
"That world wasn't real Gaara! We had to pull you away; your chakra was almost gone! But it doesn't matter, Gaara it doesn't matter!" Naruto shouted back.
Kiba immediately appeared behind Gaara to try to hold him back from Naruto, "Gaara, listen to us! Calm down!"
"Gaara! Yue is fine, we were able to replenish her chakra, she's fine!" Naruto finally blurted out.
His words slowly registered into Gaara's mind. The Kazekage calmed his frustrations to ask, "Yue is alive…?"
Naruto carefully removed Gaara's talons from his collar. He half smiled at his friend, "Heh, yeah Gaara. Yue is fine."
"Lord Kazekage…" Gaara heard Sakura's voice call to him from somewhere close.
He followed her voice to see her nearby with his wife in laying her head on Sakura's lap.
Within seconds, Gaara was by Yue's side. She looked into his eyes as he looked to her face to make sure she was all right.
Her eyes were weak and she was sickly looking, other than that he felt that she had chakra in her.
Now that Gaara knew she was fine, he took her figure into his embrace. He finally could let out a sigh of relief.
He thought he had lost her forever, and she never knew how he really felt. That would have been the ultimate regret of his life.
Yue closed her eyes to shed a tear, as well to take in the moment. She didn't understand what Gaara was feeling, or why he was being so close and affectionate, but that embrace was the warmest feeling her heart felt in so long. It brought her to tears.
"I'm taking you home… Let's go home okay?" He said quietly to her while his arms held her closer, but everyone heard him.
Naruto stepped up, "Gaara, we still have to bring her back to Kumogakure. Remember the plan?"
"No…NO." Gaara looked up to him with heated eyes, "No more. This is enough. She's been through enough. I am taking her home."
Kiba came into the discussion to Naruto's aide once more, "Gaara, you know Ito Kitai's not going to stop. Kankuro and Kurena-Sensei have been trying to help, we owe it to them to get Lady Kazekage there to see what they found out."
Gaara was only thinking of Yue at this point, "How much more would you like for her to endure?!"
"Gaara, we all know she's been through so much pain, but this is only half finished. We have to stop Ito-Kitai once and for all in order to move on. Yue will never feel safe if you don't."
The Kazekage was about to argue further until he felt Yue moved. He looked down to see her look up at him.
Yue still couldn't find the words to speak in the real world yet, so she tried her best to make him understand. She held a hand to her heart for a moment, and then placed it onto his heart. She even smiled.
Gaara understood even though no one else did, "You trust me to protect you…"
Yue nodded while still holding her angelic smile.
Everyone watched with their own heartfelt smiles on their faces. The whole world knew that these two people belonged to each other; the only problem was that those two people couldn't see it for themselves.
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