After returning downstairs, they sat around the living room as Shikamaru, Kankuro, and Yukata started playing video games. Ino and Gaara sat together in one area of the room, watching as the brunette female beat the two males in multiple rounds of Mario Kart.

"Wow, she's good," Ino said, and Gaara nodded silently. She stirred a little bit in her seat, "Um, which way is the kitchen? I'm thirsty,"

"I'll get you some water," he said as he stood up. Ino relaxed in her seat and watched him as he walked towards the kitchen.

"Heard you two got caught in the middle of something…"

Shikamaru's teasing caught her attention, and Ino glared at him before glaring at Kankuro and Yukata.

"We were just napping," Ino exclaimed, crossing her arms in front of her chest and looking away.

"Mhmm, yeah sure Ino… Napping…"

While Ino continued to be mercilessly teased, Gaara entered the kitchen and grabbed a cup of water. He knew that the older woman was staring at him, as if wanting to say something, but he wanted nothing from her. He didn't hate her, but there was nothing for him to say to her.

"Um...Gaara?"

Her timid voice stopped him from exiting the kitchen, and Gaara simply turned his head towards her. Sara gulped as she met those unfriendly teal eyes.

"What is it?" Gaara asked, causing the woman to flinch and almost drop the clean plate.

"I...um...i-is it OK if I speak with you...privately?"

Sara watched as his gaze didn't soften at all; if anything, he seemed more annoyed at the idea. But to her surprise, he didn't reject it. His head turned towards the living room.

"Fine. Let me give this to her first," he said, and Sara watched him as he gave Ino the glass of water before walking back towards her.

Sara gave him a small smile as he stood a couple of feet away from her, hands buried in his pockets as he leaned against the door frame. She fixed her apron while trying to formulate her thoughts, trying to not let his cold gaze spook her.

"...Um...I...I just wanted to say thank you for coming over tonight. I know that things aren't perfect between you and your father...b-but I just want you to know that h-he loves you a lot… and misses you."

"He can tell me that himself,"

Sara nodded, expecting that reaction from him. "I know. H-He's been calling for weeks...trying to get a hold of you…"

"I've been busy," Gaara added, glancing at his girlfriend who was currently resting her head on the arm of the loveseat, her eyes halfway closed.

Sara glanced at Ino's direction before looking back at him. "She's a beautiful young lady. She looks tired though,"

Gaara gave a slight nod. "We need to get going,"

"Wait! B-Before you leave...I also wanted to say that...that I am not here to replace your mother. I am aware of the type of relationship your mother and-"

"Karura,"

"Wh-What?"

"My mother...she has a name… and it's Karura. And you do not need to finish your sentence. You are aware of how my father treated my mother - how his mental and physical abuse lead her to becoming an alcoholic."

Sara fidgeted as she chose her next words carefully, "He's changed, Gaara. Your father has changed...he's aware of what type of man he was years ago and regrets it."

"That changes nothing," he replied, exiting the area and sitting next to Ino.

Her eyes were almost closed, and he knew that it was getting late. Ino from five months ago would have stayed awake right now, possibly having a beer. But the accident had changed her health drastically.

"Ino," he said gently, placing a hand on her arm, "Let's go,"

She opened her eyes and glanced at him, "Mmm, OK… Don't you want to stay a little longer?"

He shook his head while standing up, grabbing her hand and helping her up.

"Leaving so soon?" Temari asked, and Gaara nodded.

The couple said their goodbyes as a cab pulled over to the front of the house. Rasa had insisted on dropping them off, but Gaara refused.

They reached their apartment building in thirty minutes and picked up the package from the leasing office before going up the stairs. The box didn't weigh much, and Ino gave it a slight shake.

"Hm, sounds like sand in there…" she said, sitting on the livingroom floor as Gaara went into his room to change.

Using his pocket knife, she removed the heavy tape that surrounded it. Based on the wrinkles and dust surrounding it, Ino guessed that the box must have been packaged months ago. The shipping label only had a P.O Box on it, which didn't help her guess who had sent her this stuff.

Once the tape was removed, she opened the box and raised an eyebrow at the brown vase-like object inside. Taking it out gently, she turned it around until she found a small knob underneath. Grabbing it, she turned the knob and immediately flinched as ashy-like particles fell out, immediately dirtying her dress and the floor underneath. A small white piece of paper fell out onto her lap, and Ino opened it.

I am not sure when you will get this… But I pray to God that when you do, you have paid for your sin! Murderer! You are a murderer! And I hope you burn in hell for taking my daughter away from me!

With wide eyes, Ino touched the ashes with two fingers before screaming in realization.

The police arrived within fifteen minutes, and the lead detective in the case shortly afterwards. They took the box and vase, placing them in a large white container before allowing forensics to collect as much of the ashes as possible.

The detective, whose name was Anko, asked several questions; and all of them were answered by Gaara.

"His daughter was not cremated," Anko said, "So these ashes must be someone or something else. We will have the forensics team run a test to see. In the meantime, we have a crew coming in soon to help clean this up. Do you have any other questions for me?"

Ino raised her head and stared at the woman, "Is he dead? Is he truly dead?"

The detective nodded. "He is, Ino. Self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head."

"Th-Then… h-how d-did he… know…"

"My guess is that he sent this to you shortly before the accident...maybe even the day of. We will need to talk to reach out to the post office that processed this."

Ino nodded, and a soft knock was heard. Two men walked in with cleaning supplies, and Anko directed them over towards the living room.

Gaara grabbed Ino's arm and helped her up from the floor. The men vacuumed the entire area as Anko glanced towards the blonde again.

"Sorry about this, but we will need the dress as well. Since we're not sure where these ashes are coming from, we'll need every bit of evidence."

"That's fine," Ino said, "Let me change…"

As soon as she walked inside her room and closed the door, Ino removed the dress with such force that she felt one of the buttons pop off. Not wanting to drop the ash-ridden dress on her floor, she opened her bedroom door just enough to call Gaara over.

"Here, give it to them,"

He grabbed the rumpled dress and gave it one of the crew members, who then placed it in a plastic bag.

Dressed in black tights and white t-shirt, Ino exited her room as the men finished cleaning up the ashes.

"Here, take my card." Anko said while giving it to her, "Call me if you find anything else. I'll be in touch once I find out more."

"Thanks,"

The group exited the apartment, leaving the couple standing in the middle of the living room quietly. Gaara locked the apartment door before glancing at her.

"I'm going to take a shower…" Ino said in a rushed tone, walking over to the restroom. Despite changing her clothes, she could still feel the ashy particles by her legs and things.

Locking the door behind her, she discarded her clothes and quickly turned on the faucet. Cool water sprung out and splattered on the shower floor, and Ino waited a couple of seconds until it became warmer. Once it was to the temperature of her liking, she rushed inside and rubbed her thighs, watching as minor black water streaks rolled down. Grabbing her soap, she scrubbed her arms and legs as the tears began to swell up near her eyes.

When will this ever end?

From his room, Gaara watched her as she dragged her feet back into her room in nothing but a towel. Despite her bedroom door remaining open, she hid from view for a while before reappearing, wearing a black t-shirt with gray panties underneath. His eyes trailed down her long legs and by the time they went back to her face, Ino was giving him a stern look. And all he could do was raise an eyebrow at her.

"Done staring?"

"..No…" he said, the corner of his lips tilting upwards as he approached her. His hands cupped her cheeks as he leaned his forehead against hers, "How are you feeling?"

"To be honest… I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight. So much going on in my mind and the nightmares I sometimes get aren't helping,"

"...Sleep with me… In my room…"

Ino raised her eyebrows as he closed his eyes, and she couldn't help but giggle at his choice of words.

"Hm, and you won't try anything?"

"...I won't. We'll just sleep,"

He led her towards his bedroom, his hand ghosting around her lower back. Ino stared at his bed before looking at him as he laid down on the right side of the bed. Shrugging her shoulders, she laid down next to him, pulling the covers up to her chest as she stared at the ceiling. The mattress underneath them shifted as he moved closer to her, touching her arm gently.

"Relax, Ino. I'm here,"

"What if he's still alive? Has some evil twin brother or something… a-and-"

"He doesn't… And he's dead. I...saw his body that day,"

There was no response to that, and Gaara continued to look at her as her half-opened eyes continued to stare at the ceiling.

"Our lease ends in two months, right?" she asked.

"Yeah. If you want to move out, you will need to provide your notice by end of this week,"

Ino nodded as she turned towards him, their faces inches apart. This was the conversation she thought about while in the hospital. Now that they are dating, what then?

"What do you prefer?"

Despite the room being dark, she watched as he placed his hand on her cheek.

"I prefer to be with you...live with you…"

"...Even if that means moving somewhere else?" she asked.

"...Yes,"

"W-Wouldn't it be too soon? What if we fight a lot?"

Gaara grabbed her hand and kissed her knuckles. "I can't promise you that we won't have our moments… But I am certain about my love for you… and I am willing to try things out… even if it's rushed."

Ino gave him a peck, "Even if it means moving to a one bedroom apartment?"

She giggled as Gaara raised both eyebrows before smirking, knowing what type of thoughts went through his mind. "If that's what you prefer, then I am OK with getting a one-bedroom apartment,"

"We'll save more money as well. And if we ever fight, you'll just sleep on the couch,"

Gaara frowned as Ino laughed, feeling him grab her arm and turn her around so he could spoon her from behind. His arm draped over her waist as he buried his face by the back of her neck.

"We'll see about that," came his response as sleep eventually overtook them.

Thanks for reading & Please review!