Chapter 18

Abigail started to make her way down as Akio went to meet her halfway up. To her surprise, he grabbed her by both shoulders and squeezed hard from excitement.

"You! You are not a gatekeeper!"

"She is not?!" replied the stunned crowd before she could place a word, as if watching a show from down the stage.

"No!" he said to the crowd, before turning his head back to the girl. Her brown eyes shone in the light of the lamp on the brick wall next to her.

"What is it?" she asked, sure he had more to say.

"You are a GRAND GATEKEEPER!"

A fly could be heard flying about in the common room. It went straight to the closest lamp and landed on it, plunging the room in an awkward silence.

"Oh,"

"HA HA!" Akio laughed at her clueless expression and did a happy dance back down the stairs. Aby's eyes glanced toward the crowd and saw that their faces were just as lost as she was. There didn't seem to be much difference between a Gatekeeper and a Grand Gatekeeper, no matter how excited Akio looked.

He kept chanting 'Grand Gatekeeper!' over and over again and couldn't believe this was happening to him; to have such a rare opportunity to be of assistance to the formation of a Grand Gatekeeper!

"So … what am I?" she timidly asked, hoping for some "job description" that comes with the title.

"A Grand Gatekeeper! Yes I know, it doesn't scream 'glory' but it is so much more than a simple gatekeeper, which is already not nothing!" he explained to his audience who were staring at him puzzled.

"A Gatekeeper is someone who guards a particular, but not necessarily appointed gate between our world and a created world like this one. The keeper is given the key of the gate and that ends there! Although pretty straight forward, that is no mere task! Not everyone can be a gatekeeper … for instance, I cannot walk down the street, choose a random person and give him or her the key! This person has to be naturally committed and have affinities with the particular world! Even if a fanatic of Naruto, in this case, would be strong enough and show commitment for now, our human nature distracts us! We change our minds, our interests change overtime! That is why God chooses the most fitting to the task!"

"Ok, but what about me?" asked Abigail impatiently.

"You were chosen too!"

"You said I am more than a Gatekeeper!"

"Yes! But you hold the key to many gates!"

"Many?!"

"Well ... you are still responsible for one, but as any organization needs a leader, so does this! A Grand Gatekeeper leads the other Gatekeepers and keeps them in check! Think of it as a supervisor or a manager of an organization! A commander in the army!"

"But Naruto started when I was in elementary school! Surely there was already a Gatekeeper, let alone a Grand Gatekeeper!"

"Unless the Grand Gatekeeper died and needs replacement …" reminded Gaara bluntly.

They all turned to him and Aby gasped at his reasoning. She turned back to Akio whose face turned serious.

"The man I spoke of, I never heard back … the key was in my possession all this time; now you are here with these powers. That can only mean that the man was not only the gatekeeper of this world, but a Grand Gatekeeper."

"And so meeting us here, you automatically assumed that she was that keeper?" asked Sakura.

"Why not Sofia?" added Sasuke.

"Or Matthew or Hazel" chimed in Shikamaru, they are training as we speak and getting accustomed to the ways of Shinobis...why do you have your heart set on the fact that SHE is the keeper … or Grand keeper or whatever ..."

"Wait … Matthew and Hazel?" Temari shushed Kankuro and explained who they were in a whisper.

"Again, I'm a gatekeeper; I know when I see another Gatekeeper … I don't know how it works, but you just know ... you know? What I didn't know is that the previous Gatekeeper would find me."

The room was silent for a few seconds while Aby slowly took in everything that the writer said. She bursted out laughing so loud, she had to bend over and hold onto her belly. That story by itself would be an awesome anime.

Sofia pulled out a smirk before stepping forward towards the puzzled man.

"Clearly you do not know Aby! She sure is loyal to a default, but she couldn't hurt a fly … let alone lead an army of … whatever these gatekeepers are.

"No one become soldier before getting trained for it!" replied Akio, impatiently. He turned his face towards Gaara who was studying Aby with a gentle face. He was remembering the day when he left her to fend for herself and she came running after him, begging to at least take the children. Then she took him by surprise by embracing him. He found her attractive before that, but that was when his heart started to make cartwheels in his chest. He was startled when Akio stared and pointed at him.

"You! You are going to train her!"

He jumped at the sudden turn of events. The gatekeeper pointed straight at him, ignoring the fact that pointing at a Kage was considered very rude, let alone giving that ruler orders!

"Say what now?!"

"A Grand Gatekeeper is much more powerful than anyone else! This is where the power she has with the water comes from! She is new to all this, so she needs guidance! I can help her with the guidance, but you two share a power in common! You need to help her control it!"

Kankuro's jaw dropped and Temari seemed to make a happy dance from the corner of his eyes. He couldn't deny that the prospect of spending some more time with her felt warm and fuzzy, but he couldn't help but protest as the Kazekage.

"I understand the urgency in your tone of voice, but I am the Kazekage; as you surely know, since you created me, I cannot leave my duties behind so easily!"

"Baki! You won't mind filling in for the position while we are on our way to Konoha, right?" casually asked Akio to the man who was silently observing the scene from a corner of the room. The sudden reach out made him uneasy.

"M-me? Well ...I'm not as suited as—" Akio glared at him like an unimpressed God who was being told off. Baki looked towards Gaara who nodded in his direction, arms crossed.

"Fine, if it is the duty that my Lord wants me to fulfill, then I'll fill in for the time being."

"I still don't understand why it has to be me …" said Gaara who regretted his words when he saw Abigail's face.

"Oh! I didn't mean … I was just thinking that I'm not the only one powerful … or the most powerful for that matter ... "

"You and her have the same defense in common! The sand answers to you and water, to her!"

"It's not quite the same" breathed Aby out, without looking up."

"Only the source is different! Find your source and control it! We leave tomorrow!" he said happily to the group. "Konoha has more water around, which will make it easier for Abigail! I can't believe I am here to witness all that!"

As the shinobis looked at each other, not sure what to think of all this, Aby realized that Akio opened the box he left on the table before heading to the Kazekage's office earlier today. Gaara came to meet Aby on the stairs.

"Hey, about what I said just now … I wasn't saying that I didn't—what is it?" He turned in the direction Aby was frowning upon and saw the gatekeeper, staring at the opened box. Gaara climbed back down and went closer to Akio who was paralyzed and lost for words. He looked at the opened box and turned his gaze upon Aby.

"It's empty!"

The shinobis and Sofia quieted down as Gaara said the words. Abigail gasped, realizing the importance the content had, according to Akio.

"The pen too?"

Akio shook his head, showing the pen he still had in his shirt pocket, thankfully. She looked around the room and ran downstairs towards the children who were playing with a bug on the ground.

"Toshiko, Tori, did you guys find a key and maybe decided to play with it?"

Akio looked with hopeful eyes.

"No! He said it was dangerous, so we didn't touch it."

"No keys!" added Tori shrugging her shoulders.

The gatekeeper pulled his hair. "How could I have been so stupid! Casually leaving the box here while I went to do the research! What if it is in the wrong hands?"

"Relax!" Said Gaara, putting a hand on the writer's shoulder. It might just be lost! We'll look for it ..."

"We cannot relax! Have you even listened to what I said?'' asked Akio angrily. Aby suddenly looked around, realizing something.

"Where is Chris?"

She stared out of the window, her foot nervously tapping on the ground as the sand storm kept raging outside. She held her arms wrapped around her own body and shivered at the sight of the monstrous shadows walking through the storm.

It's my fault, she thought. A gentle hand startled her on her shoulder.

"Are you alright?"

Gaara's voice was soothing and inviting for confessions. She avoided eye contact and kept looking out, shaking her head and trying hard to contain the tears that were leaking out.

"Are you um … are you worried about him?"

"It's my fault!" she blurted out. I said something and he left and he got stuck in the storm and probably, one of those creatures …"

Gaara turned her around from where she was standing inside her room and pulled her to his him, using his own scarf to dry up the tears. But she buried her face in his coat, trying hard to muffle the cries she was no longer able to keep in.

"I w-was horrib-ble to him!" she said between two sobs, "And I … I hurt him and he left and n-now … now he might …"

"Wait, Wait … You were horrible to him?! How did you come up with this conclusion? Did it occur to you that he might have stolen the key and ran away?"

She shook her head, still hidden in his red trench coat, but holding on to the soft scarf.

"He kissed me this morning …"

Gaara's heart stopped, paralyzed by the sudden shock. A few seconds passed, but instead of moving away, his fingers tightened their grip on her. An old feeling resurfaced out of nowhere and shook his whole body.

Hatred.

The taste of the long lost emotion was bitter in his mouth. He fought the feeling that was rising; he took a few deep breaths to let it pass.

When she saw that he was not responding, she looked up at his frowning face. Her eyes met his and she couldn't see if he was just shocked or angry … or both? She let a few more tears come out.

"I knew for a long time that he liked me. He was always obvious about it. I thought I liked the attention. I thought I liked him too, sometimes … arrrg … I don't know! Anyway, I pulled away while he was kissing because it didn't feel right. And he got mad … and … c-called me a tease … and …"

She started sobbing again as Gaara breathed loudly and loosened his grip. She pulled away? It didn't feel right?

"So why do you think it is your fault?"

She looked up confused. "Did you hear what I just said?"

"Yes. You said he kissed you, it didn't feel right so you stopped him … as what any respectable woman would do, I would assume …"

"Well ... that's ... I never saw it that way."

"He made you see it that way ... And he called you a tease?" he frowned. "It seems to me that you should be the one to be angry!"

I wouldn't have said any better! Thought Sofia, peeking through the doorway. This Gaara dude was not so bad after all, as opposed to Chris; when did the roles switch? She gave another glance before leaving them alone. She thought that her friend would need her since Chris disappeared, but clearly, the eyeliner guy had been one step ahead. She walked toward her room and met Kankuro in the hallway.

"KANGAROO!" she smiled.

The man sighed with closed eyes and ignored the nickname she gave him.

"Did my brother beat you to it?"

"To what"

"The process of comforting the heart of a lady of interest and winning her at the same time?"

"Well!" she laughed, "I wasn't planning on making her my girl … but yes, that's pretty much what is going on in there!"

She studied him with a smile.

"Is that how you got your girl? The comfort and all?" she asked teasingly.

He grinned without looking at her. "I don't have a girl."

"No?!"

"None of them are good enough for me," he said, mockingly. Sofia crossed her arms and grinned.

"So all the interesting women were already taken … right?"

"Ha ha, well, that too but there were very few!"

She raised an eyebrow. "You must have very high standards!" she smirked.

"How about you, gatekeeper's friend, you have a guy?"

She dropped her smile slightly and turned to face the window in the hall.

"They never stick around for long."

It was Kankuro's turn to raise an eyebrow. He asked a silent question when she looked back at him.

"I don't know … maybe it's my free spirited nature that turns them off, but I was always faithful to them!"

"You're saying 'them'."

"Not all at once!" she laughed.

"How many were they?"

"It doesn't matter."

She walked passed him with a gentle scratch on his shoulder and reached her own room door.

"No it doesn't," he insisted, "but I'm curious as to how many broke your heart?"

"Who said THEY broke my heart?"

"Your eyes …"

She was startled by his answer but ended up smiling.

"No wonder no women are good enough! You must be

picking a lot of stuff if you can read their eyes so easily!"

She opened the door to get inside, aware of the stare in her back. You must be picking up on a lot of stuff when you're a ninja, she concluded.

"You didn't answer my question …" he pressed on before she could get in.

"There were five or six." She smiled, trying to hide any hint of disappointment; But once again, his ninja eyes could see through hers.

"That's a lot of heartbreaks …"

"Bah … one day it'll stop," she said while getting into the room. She turned to him before closing the door. "Maybe, one day, one will be good enough!" said Sofia, smiling at him. He shrugged his right shoulder and smiled back.

Aby sat on the bed looking to the left while Gaara was speaking. His voice was soothing, but she couldn't focus on the words. Was Chris really in the wrong? She couldn't shake the feeling that she had been selfish and somewhat insensitive to his feelings.

"Hey! Are you listening?"

"Oh! Ah … I'm sorry … I was thinking, what did you say?"

Gaara sighed. "I said, I can't shake the feeling that this guy took the key and took off."

"You're just saying that because you don't like him …" she said, rolling her eyes. Gaara tried his best not to look offended.

"You're right! I don't like him! And I'm not the only one! Don't you think it's weird that he disappeared at the same time as the content of that box, right after Akio explained to him this morning how precious these were?"

"Maybe he was set up? Which would be easy to do since nobody likes him!"

"I'm the Kazekage! I don't accuse or condemn anybody just because I don't like them!" he said with a hint of annoyance.

Aby glanced up to him, he was right. Gaara was a wise man, looking for facts before emotions. She smiled, remembering the first few episodes when he was introduced to the series.

"At least, not anymore …" she teased him. She giggled when his face changed from annoyed to flustered shame. "I apologize, I couldn't help it! But you know, you should not let your past get to you. You have a lot of fans in my world, as well as in yours, especially because of how you came to be who you are today!"

"You … you must have some fans as well …"

"What? No. I'm not a leader. I'm nothing special. People say I'm too introverted, to put it nicely. I have a hard time to trust, especially … oh. Never mind." She was going to say "the opposite sex" but somehow didn't want to say that much to him, who was, in fact, a part of the opposite sex.

"I don't think you give yourself enough credit." he said with a faint smile. She was getting a lot of these from him lately. It gave her butterflies in her belly. She felt him very close and didn't dare to look up. She blushed and felt the need to go back and hide in his long coat. It smelled of … something she couldn't place; sweet tanned skin, soft golden sand with a mix of exotic spices. She remembered when his hand reached out for hers in the pit that was now covered. A chill ran down her spine at the sudden thought and she gasped.

"What is it?"

"You don't think that Chris would have fallen down the cleft and was buried alive! Right?" She cried out in horror. But Gaara shook his head and smiled.

"I did a full screening before filling the pit. No one was there. Everyone is safe."

She left a sigh of relief out but looked him in the eyes.

"Then where is he?!"

"Looks like we are able to find out!" he said while looking out. The storm was finally calming, and the streets of Suna showed no signs of the desert creatures. Aby followed him out of the room and saw him giving orders to three guards. They all ran out to look for the missing fool.

"No one else gets out of here or comes in without my authorization!"

"Yes Lord Gaara!" Answered the guards and Baki in unison. Abi looked at him perplexed.

"Why? The storm has passed …"

"Because the key is still missing, and if Akio is right, then it would not be good for the thief to walk out with them; or for his friends to come back him up!"

"How do you know the thief got friends?"

"I don't for sure, but Kankuro, Sasuke and Sakura mentioned three men escaped their attacks and seemed to be hiding somewhere. These two incidents could be connected somehow." He lowered his eyes to meet Abigail's.

She smiled sadly in answer. He knew she didn't want to believe Chris was involved in this, but couldn't deny the possibility, or any possibility for that matter.

"This is your first lesson as a leader; people may disappoint you and even betray you. Do not let your emotions dismiss the possibility."

"Ok," she answered sadly, accepting the fact that Chris might be a traitor to Gaara's eyes. She kept thinking that if it was the case, she might have been the cause; maybe a moment of anger and feelings of betrayal pushed him to commit such senseless actions. There was no way he would be like that otherwise. What would he even do with the key? He was just a guy who created leather bags!

Gaara watched her and wished he could cheer her up to see the sparkle in her eyes again. He glanced further to the left and saw his brother looking straight at them, grinning from ear to ear, arms crossed.

Girls like exciting adventures huh? Gaara remembered his brother saying.

He looked once more at Aby who was still lost in thought. He lowered himself to her level.

"Follow me!"

"What? Where?" she whispered back.

She tried to keep up while he ran to the third floor, passed the rooms and towards his office. But instead of going all the way, he stopped midway and opened the door to the circling staircase. He waited for her with a smirk that she never saw before. She looked at him and the door, back and forth. He nodded towards the door.

"Where are we g—"

"SHHHHH! We're sneaking out!"

"... What?!"

Gaara grabbed her hand and pulled her as he ran up to a door half way up. He opened it and signaled for her to head out, with a finger on his mouth.

She gave him a nervous smile; What was this all about? That was not like him at all; and why were they sneaking out? She cautiously walked out and looked down; only a gentle evening breeze remained from the storm, leaving the village ground and the desert around Suna looking smooth like velvet, lit by the setting sun in the distance. She turned to him, waiting for further instructions, her hair moving in the breeze. He gently closed the door behind him without making noise and looked down the building. He then offered his hand to Aby. She looked at him, horrified.

"Are you mad?! You want to jump?!"

"There is something I want to show you that I believe will cheer you up a lot, for that we need to get out of the village."

"Out of the village?! Why can't we just go through the front door?" He shook his head, still extending his hand.

"I just gave the order for no one to come in or out … and I'm supposed to be inside, doing Kazekage stuff … not playing with a woman!"

He blushed at his own statement and gave an irresistible shy smile. She looked back at the door and at Gaara again, trying to figure out why his behavior changed so suddenly. But it was better than being kicked out or attacked with a sand coffin! She mumbled something and took the hand he offered. He brought her close to the edge and looked around, up and down.

"Do you trust me?" he asked at last.

What is this? Alladin? Next thing will be a ride on a magic carpet?

"Uh Huh?" She nodded nervously.

He pulled her as he jumped and slid off the platform, to the lower step, a few meters down. She gasped for air as she lost her footing and plunged to her death. She was caught by him with both hands. She breathed heavily as she was effortlessly pulled up in front of him. She closed her eyes in fear. They were still very high, and a fall would kill them both … is what she thought. However, Gaara smiled above her. All he had to do was to activate his sand and they would reach the bottom safe and sound, but he could hear his brother complain: that wouldn't be exciting!

"It's ok," he whispered in her ear, "I got you!"

She calmed down by his reassurance, but her belly trembled at his touch; he was holding her by the waist, pushing her forward, along the improvised step, and she moved, ignoring the dizziness.

They came to the end of the step and he nudged her toward the dusty stone rain spout which was not often useful. He gently squeezed passed her and held onto the spout and started to climb down. He waited for her to do the same. Her hands trembled but followed his example a few seconds later. They climbed down until their feet found a lower roof of the building. Her legs were shaking by then; her muscles were not used to any of this. He helped her down on the lower roof and she fell in his arms, shocked and alarmed at how close their faces were. He looked away and quickly put her down, a tint of red in his face.

"Almost there!" he said.

He would've done all that with two jumps, but she was not a kunoichi, she was still hesitant and clumsy, without mentioning fragile. It gave him an even stronger desire to protect her. She followed him with heavy trembling legs. There were some vines going further down to the ground. She looked at him and felt her heart was going to stop … climbing down was already hard enough; using a vine, or a rope, or anything like that spelled disaster for her. She remembered, a long time ago, in elementary school, she couldn't climb up the rope. Others did it easily. She wasn't strong enough. She had cold sweats; she was stuck. He looked back at her with his green eyes and saw the fear and resignation in her eyes.

"Put the vine between and around your feet, almost wrapping them, and hold onto it with your hands, then slide down slowly."

He went first to show her and waited half way. He could've held onto her himself and lowered them on the ground; in fact, he wanted to do just that, but felt he needed to show her instead, so she could see she had the strength to do it by herself.

She took a deep breath and forced her shaking hands to grab onto the vine, like he'd shown her. It took more strength than she thought but focused on it until she almost reached the bottom. A cicada that was nearby startled her and she let go of the vine, letting out a loud shout while falling. Gaara caught her and they ran in the shadows.

"Sorry …" she said shyly. "I didn't realize I was this close to the ground!"

She looked up at the distance they climbed down and gasped. That was pretty high!

Gaara put his index finger on her mouth to remind her to be quiet. She nodded, smiling, happy to be on the ground. He took her hand again and sneaked along the wall, looking around, before jumping down the outside stairs. She followed him, once more, with his help, and they started to run towards the village's rocky gates, zigzagging between houses.

Yashiko, who got curious from the short scream he heard, saw them jump and decided, as it was his duty, to follow them in the night. He went back for his cloak and went back out, only to find they had already disappeared through the mazes of Suna's village … not that it would stop him; he was a bodyguard in training after all!

Sakura watched Sasuke drink by himself, seemingly in deep thoughts. Her presence startled him.

"Are you ok?"

"Uhm Yes"

"What are you thinking about?"

"... nothing …" he said, taking another sip of his tea.

"Liar!" she said, smiling. Baki came in, smiling, with a few guards.

"Where is Lord Kazekage?" asked Sasuke, glad he could avoid Sakura's questions.

"It seems he sneaked out with the girl," he said with his eyes closed.

"Huh?" cried Sakura. Kankuro came by laughing with Temari on his feet.

"You saw it too?" he told Baki. "It was so funny!"

"What? What was funny?" inquired Sasuke.

"It seems, for some reason, Gaara pretended to sneak out with the girl without being noticed …" he said, amused.

"Wait … which girl?!"

"Abigail!" answered Kankuro. "They went out on the roof and climbed down, he held her hand and looked around, making sure no one saw them … it was cute!"

Sakura was left speechless.

"Gaara didn't know? How can he not know you were watching?" A herd of protests rose up at once.

"Of course he knew!" spit out Baki. "He is the Kazekage! Of course he knew we were watching!"

"Then why …" Sakura looked up to Sasuke, confused; but as usual, he avoided eye contact.

"Ehhh, I might have suggested something like that, along that line …" Kankuro said, raising his arm.

"You know … to give the girl a good time …"

"Give the girl a good time?! Wait!" She suddenly caught on with the rest, as Sasuke looked up at Kankuro. "Does Ga—Lord Gaara have a crush on Abigail?"

Kankuro thought about it for a few seconds …

"Hmmm, I wouldn't call it a crush. I think he fell for her; like … really bad!"

"Oh! How adorable!" Sakura put her hands to her heart and looked at Sasuke who kept drinking. She thought it was a good thing it wasn't sake ...

Gaara watched Abigail from behind, with a smug look on his face. She hopped further into the desert, in the direction he indicated, all smiles. She turned to him while hopping backwards.

"I still can't believe we did that! My heart stopped more than once! What would you have done if I broke my neck and died on your watch?"

"That would have never happened … besides, your friend would've killed me ten times over."

"As if Sofia could land a finger on you!" She rolled her eyes and laughed. "Ha ha, That was so much fun! I never climbed down a rope before! I mean, climbing up must be more challenging; but still!"

She looked at the big rising crescent moon. "Where are we going?"

"We're almost there. Near that tree over there …"

She looked in the direction he pointed at; There, stood a small, seemingly dead tree, where a few roots protruded from the ground. Where it used to get its nutrients, was only her guess.

"What is there?"

"Shhh, don't make any noise and follow me."

She tiptoed behind him, following his example.

"As you know, my childhood wasn't the happiest time." She nodded. "I often went raging alone in the desert, releasing my anger and hatred here. Not long after I met Naruto," he paused when he looked at her. Her hair gently moved in the night breeze, revealing some silver highlights under the moonlight. Her eyes looked up, wondering what was coming next. "... I stumbled here by chance. This became my favorite place, which I find soothing."

Abigail broke eye contact to look at the empty land around.

"Yeah...it's...it's beautiful!" He smiled and tilted his head.

"Liar"

"What?! No! ... ok fine … I'm sorry, it's just … there's nothing here, I don't see anything else but sand," she admitted.

"Sit" he ordered.

She studied him, perplexed, and did as she was told, crossing her legs.

He put a finger to his lips and backed away slowly, being careful where he placed his feet.

"Where are you …"

"Shhh, just don't move."

He was a few meters back, crouched down and put the palm of his hand against the cool white sand.

"You're not going to summon a creature to eat me, right?"

He smiled. "Ready?"

"Please don't kill me!" she said in a forced whisper.

He looked down to the ground and without saying a word, an invisible force was transferred from his hand. His hair and long red coat were lifted from the force and the ground around slightly shook for a few seconds.

What emerged from the sand was not a monstrous creature, but hundreds of butterfly-like insects! The creatures, who were the size of her fist, resembled moths, but with a glowing golden belly, that lit up the night all around her. Her jaw dropped as the insects filled the space around and above her. A few of the gentle insects curiously flipped-flopped around her and landed on her arms, hands and right shoulder. One slightly messed her hair as it crashed landed and took off instantly, which made her snort in surprise. The sight was beautiful! It was like a huge garden lit by magical creatures, like fairies! She giggled as one of the creatures explored that weird soft surface that was her hand. It delicately moved its two front legs on the tip of her fingers and stretched its antennas to touch them. Feeling her gaze on it, it turned around to stare back at the giant eyes looking at it. It wore a furry, bright red, imposing mane around its neck, held by two parts navy blue body, with four wings at the top and two smaller wings at the end of its tail. Its six slim legs also had fuzzy larger hooves at the bottom. It tilted its head at her from side to side and finally flew away, after blinking its green eyes. She looked at Gaara, amazed, and was answered by another smile. He watched her as if she was part of a mystical show of magical creatures dancing before him. The 'lumiflies' danced around her, immersing her in a golden light. He thought she could easily be mistaken for an angel. She raised herself on her knees and looked up at the tiny creatures in awe. She heard of fireflies before and even saw a few … but those … she looked to the sky and gasped, mouth wide open, seeing for the first time this world's sky, free of clouds. Gaara was shocked by her sudden behavior.

"What's wrong?" He said looking up where she was looking; but all he could see were stars and lumiflies. "What is it? What's wrong?"

She looked up at his puzzled face and grimaced, wiping her face in one quick motion and laughing.

"Nothing is wrong! I'm so sorry … it's just, I always wanted to see the stars!" She scoffed at her own silliness. "Wow, you just just gave me a sky full of stars," she whispered to herself.

"Well … I didn't really, literally, give it to you …" he whispered back and she laughed.

"No, but you brought me here and … did all that!" She waved her hand around. "The stars and the … whatever you call those fairies!"

"They are called 'Lumiflies'" he laughed.

"Lumiflies," she said laughing as she wiped more tears off her face with the top of her borrowed shirt. "I'm sorry …" she started.

"What for?"

"For always being like this … I'm always crying and asking forgiveness … then doing something wrong and getting out of line than crying … it's getting a habit," she laughed nervously. "Also, I don't like when people see me crying … I mean, it gets awkward for everybody."

She's hiding herself, like a night bloom, he thought. He came closer and sat down beside her.

"But this time, there is nothing to forgive!"

His gentle smile made her heart skip a few beats and she looked away. The reaction was not unnoticed.

"How are you always so confident ..." she asked without looking at him.

"Huh?"

"Everything you do; you never flinch, you're always cool headed, you never seem to be insecure or scared about anything … how do you do that?"

Gaara's smile faded and he looked away for a moment. Not sure if he wanted to go back to the memories where he wasn't always confident.

"From a very young age, it was not so much about confidence as it was about … hmmm … I guess, a lack of purpose. After my uncle ...died … I just … I don't know … switched off? I lost all sympathy or emotions. I stopped caring about anything except myself … and even so, I felt numb. I tried many times to end it, but of course, it would never work because of the sand protecting me. The notion of being hurt was foreign to me, so I was never afraid of anything or anyone. My first chunin exam was the first slap in my face …"

Aby's face looked up in realization. "Your fight with Lee!"

He nodded. Lee was the first one to be able to touch him in a fight. It took him by surprise and got confused and angry. Then Sasuke drew the first drop of blood … now that made him lose it. He realized for the first time that he was not as powerful as he thought and that there was a possibility that he could be outmatched. That drove him mad. But Naruto …

"It was Naruto who shook me to the core. He gave me a purpose that was beside myself. I grew stronger by caring and fearing for others. Since that day, I became sure of myself. I had a purpose. My head was always cool, as you say. My decisions were always spot on … until recently."

She looked at him, curious.

"You are special," he continued, tracing something in the sand with his finger.

"Your heart is full of justice and love for others; even strangers! That is rare for humans to be that way; most of the time, people are selfish. But you, you keep the weak under your wings, you protect them as best as you can, with all you've got. I'm not surprised that your God made you Grand Gatekeeper," he said with a smile. "You're special; I know it, your friends know it, those kids know it …" Gaara paused, still looking down at the night-bloom flower he traced. "That guy, Chris, he knows it too … and that … that makes me feel insecure …"

Abigail slowly took in what he was saying. The fact that Chris knew she 'was special', made Gaara feel insecure? He saw the question in her eyes and cleared his throat.

"I don't want him to realize it; that you're special … I want to be the only one to …" He cursed himself; What the hell was he doing?

"I want you to be special to me only …"

He dared a glance at her and her brown eyes grew big and her cheeks turned pink against the white sand behind her. The whole desert was silent. The breeze stopped, which was no little thing for such a big empty, open space. The only noise came from the Lumiflies still fluttering around, although they diminished in number, surrounding them with a few golden moving lights.

He looked at her and waited for a response, but she didn't give any. She just stared back at him in shock. Not sure if his message went across, all he could do was stare back. Only this time, he didn't try to resist her eyes. He willingly lost himself in them again, and why not?! He was tired of resisting. Nobody else was there to notice it but her. He cautiously closed the gap, watching her reaction, in case she might decide that it was too close; but she didn't move away. She closed her eyes and felt his lips brushing hers.

She felt a chill and warmth at the same time and she trembled. Her hands moved on their own and went through his hair. Her sensations, however, were nothing compared to his.

He had no idea ...

He thought he did, but this was beyond everything ...

His ability to think was completely gone. All he could feel was her warm lips on his and her hands; her soft, warm hands in his hair and cheeks. Every time they moved, his head followed, begging for more caress; more warmth. He held her hand against his head and opened his eyes halfway. She smiled and kissed him back.

Now this...this felt right.

Temari quickly filled her bag with the few items she had brought, humming an old melody her mother used to hum when she was little. She felt a pinch in her heart, realizing Gaara never got to hear it. It had been decided that they would all go to Konoha in the morning. The children had shown themselves uneasy at the idea, so she had talked to them about her friends in an attempt to lighten their spirit. She had put them to sleep and covered them up to their necks in the soft blanket that used to be hers. She turned to her sleeping husband while she pulled the bag's strings closed. His hand was resting on his abdomen, the fingers closed on a little worn out, brown, furry bear. She smiled and gently took it from him. She recognized Ruffy Ruffy instantly; Gaara's teddy bear when he was little. She reminisced the memory of her little brother carrying the little plushy everywhere he went; who knows how many tears dried up on that bear. Her smile faded at the memory and she started to sob quietly.

"You're pretty emotional these days."

She turned around towards Shikamaru. He had not moved, except for his head turned in her direction. He had a kind smile on his lips. She wiped her face with her sleeve and showed him the bear, smiling back, embarrassed.

"That was Gaara's"

"I figured as much; it's missing an eye …"

Of course, all Teddies lose their eyes eventually, or something else. She knew he was trying to be funny, referring to his disturbing past. She just grimaced.

"Lucky for you he turned out to be a good guy … who knows what he would have done to you when we started dating!"

"Yeeaahhhh … I'd rather not go there …"

"I wonder if they found him. Chris, I mean …"

"We would have heard about it by …"

They were both startled by Kankuro who suddenly came through the door with full stealth power. He closed the door without a noise and turned around in a swift movement, his arms spread out and his back to the door, as if he was hiding from someone. He met Temari's eyes and a huge grin formed on his face.

"What the …" Shikamaru started.

"Shhhhhh! They're coming!" Kankuro said excitedly.

"Who?!" asked Temari.

"Gaara and Abigail! They're coming! Tema! I think they're ...y'know! Together!"

Temari's jaw dropped and she ran to her brother while shaking her hands and trying to scream quietly.

"Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!"

Shikamaru looked at them unimpressed, comparing them to two teenage girls, pushing each other to spy at the door. He rolled his eyes and went back to sleep. "What a drag ..."

Temari and Kankuro watched the door across from their room which was Aby's, and hushed each other as they finally heard footsteps coming from the grand staircase. The voices were unmistakably their brother's and Aby's. They opened the door slightly to peek.

They were both walking side by side, but to their disappointment, nothing gave indications of a change in their relationship. Temari sighed in frustration and whispered to her brother.

"What the hell, I thought you said they were together!"

"They were laughing together outside, ok?!"

"Are you for real?!" She whispered angrily.

"Will you two shut it? I'm trying to sleep!" Kankuro ignored his brother in law.

"Just shut up and wait!"

They turned back towards the couple who were making their way towards the rooms.

"You must be happy to see your friends again." Gaara was walking, arms crossed, looking dignified, as usual.

"Yes," she said shyly. "I feel like it has been an eternity already. I can't wait to see them again. I know Sofia feels the same too. I'm also looking forward to my training," she said, looking at him.

"Mmm, You will have a lot to learn," he said with concern. "Shinobis are usually trained from a very young age …"

"I'll do my best, Gaara sensei!"

He stopped and it took her a moment to realize why. They were in front of her room. They had to part for the night. She felt the heat rising to her cheeks. It still felt very strange. She looked at him looking at her, his hands were now in his back.

"Well, good night," he said at last.

"Good night!" She answered back.

He waited a few seconds and turned away to walk to his own room.

"Gaara?" Aby said in a hurry.

"Uhm?"

"Uh … well …" she looked down. He was back to his old self; she felt insecure again. What if none of this meant anything to him? Did he just see an opportunity and took it? Not that anything more happened, but … She sighed nervously at the possibility that she got played after all … without really believing that he would do such a thing. As she was looking for words and seeking sound reasoning, he just tilted his head and waited.

"Uhm, I just … Iloveyou," She whispered quickly in one small breath, regretting those words as soon as she said them. It suddenly felt stupid. You don't say that after one kiss!

It was more than one kiss …

But it was the first one! You just don't do that … do you? Was she being naive? She was now afraid he would be freaked out as she waited for some answer that wasn't coming.

That's it … she thought while cursing herself. I just freaked him out … I messed up.

"I know," he finally said as she was getting into her room.

She glared at him, obviously ticked off by his answer; but was met with a teasing smile. He placed one hand on the side of her face and gave her a long kiss, and a second shorter one, then connected his forehead with her's.

"I'm sorry … It's probably stupid … I just wanted you to say it …"

"Oh …" she said, her eyes half closed her head still in the clouds. He kissed her one last time and pulled away.

"I love you too," he whispered. She waved timidly at him and went inside her room, biting her lower lips. This better not be a freaking dream, she thought as she closed the door.

He made two steps backwards and turned around, looking at the door across the hall, and sighed.

"Good night to you two as well." He said, while walking away. He rolled his eyes when he heard the giggles of his older siblings hiding behind the door.

He went straight to his bed, kicked off his boots and let himself fall forward on the soft mattress, his heart still racing.

What an interesting day it was! He thought before drifting to sleep.