WARNING: SEXUAL CONTENT

Once they were back at the inn, Aiko and Gaara both decided to head to the bath house. It was split up for males and females of course but they walked together. Once Aiko got into the water she took a moment to examine the ring that Gaara had given her. It had a rose gold band with three diamonds decorating it. It really was quite beautiful.

She had not ever thought that Gaara would propose to her again. As she let the steam envelope her she began to relax. She closed her eyes and leaned back, drifting into a daydream.

The bath was hot and Aiko opened her eyes to see Gaara in the water across from her. Aiko gasped and sat up straight as he drifted towards her. She looked around anxiously expecting there to be other woman around but there weren't.

When she looked back at Gaara, she was surprised to see that it was not him but Hiroaki now that was right in front of her in the bath. Aiko began to scream but Hiroaki put his hand over her mouth. Her body felt weak as she felt him press his body against hers. She felt paralyzed even when he removed his hand from her mouth and moved in to kiss her.

'Wake up!' Aiko told herself but no words escaped her mouth. 'Wake up!' Again, no words came out. She could not move or speak as she felt Hiroaki kiss her lips, then her neck. She felt his hands on her hips. Then she felt him moving himself in between her legs. She couldn't take it. Aiko struggled to move.

'MOVE!'

Aiko jolted forward in the bath, startled by the unusual dream. She looked around the bath and was still alone. She quickly stood up and wrapped herself up. She felt very put off by the strange dream and took another look around the bath before leaving. Still, there was no one so she left.

Upon exiting she saw Gaara sitting nearby in his bathrobe. When he saw her he stood up and walked over. He noticed that she seemed a little off. "Are you alright Aiko?" He asked and placed a hand gently on her shoulder.

She looked up at him quickly and responded. "Yes! I think I am just a little tired is all." She blushed as she looked away from him, not wanting to share the embarrassing details of the dream she had.

Gaara did not think she was being completely honest but they had quite a long day. So he hooked his arm around Aiko's and lead her back to their room. Once inside they sat their things down and laid down on the bed next to each other.

They stared into each others eyes and were quiet for a long time. Aiko then reached up and touched Gaara's cheek gently begore tracing his jaw and then his neck. He took her hand and kissed her fingers softly.

Aiko sat up and looked down at Gaara. Their eyes locked again and for a moment they were still. Then she leaned down and kissed him deeply. He was very receptive and put his hands around her to pull her closer to him. She then climbed on top of him, pulling her lips away to untie his robe. He let her and she put her hands on his chest, followed by kissing him again and then kissing his chest and stomach.

She moved back up and he sat up to untie her robe. He pulled it off of her, kissing one of her bare shoulders as he did. She felt his member around her opening which made her heat up. She rubbed herself against him as he fell back onto the bed. They kissed again and he put his hands on her hips again gently gripping them.

After a little bit, Aiko leaned up a bit and mounted Gaara. He closed his eyes and leaned back as she did, feeling extreme pleasure when he felt himself finally enter her. He let out a heavy breath. She closed her eyes and placed her hands on his chest, allowing her hair to fall over her.

When he opened his eyes, he brushed her hair out of her face and began to lead her hips. She kept her eyes closed but quietly moaned as she moved on him. As she felt her pleasure building, she became more carefree about her exposure. She moved her hips faster and felt Gaara grip her hips tighter. She could hear the heavy breaths escaping him.

She felt him swell inside her and fill her up. For a moment he became paralyzed by his pleasure but he recovered quickly. He pushed Aiko to the side and pushed himself into her again, quickly kissing her quiet her cry of pleasure. He continued to thrust into her as he kissed her. She felt her climax approaching and he felt her tighten around him. He moved harder and faster pulling his lips away and looking down at her. Their eyes met and Aiko felt herself hit her peak.

For a few moments, they remained still. Gaara kissed Aiko again and could feel her throbbing around him. When he finally pulled away, Aiko stifled a cry and then Gaara laid down closely next to her. She snuggled up next to him and he put his arm around her. They remained like that for a long time. It was quiet and relaxing, something that Gaara didn't get to have very often.

"When will we be returning to Suna?" She asked him, breaking the silence.

"In a few days." Gaara replied. He wasn't feeling terribly rushed since Kankuro had went on ahead of them. He could trust his older brother with much and he was happy to help. Over the last several years, he and Kankuro and grown very close.

Aiko sat up and then proceeded to get dressed. Gaara sat up and looked at her curiously. As she wrapped her casual blue kimono around herself, she spoke to him. "I am going to the little grocer down the road. There are some ingredients that I would like to get together for us to have a picnic." She said excitedly.

Gaara smiled at her and stood up to get dressed as well. "I will join you." He dressed in a white button up long sleeved shirt and black pants. He also wore his small gourd along with his ninja tool belt. He watched as Aiko pulled her hair back with a white ribbon. He noticed how cheerful she seemed and it made him feel a little lighter as well.

They left the inn together and walked into the village. There were people about still since the sun had not yet set. There was still a moderate amount of light and the streets had lanterns that were beginning to become lit. The people seemed to be friendly and detached, but not to the point of being extremely weary. In fact, Gaara knew that they were used to seeing ninja pass through. This little place had managed to remain out of conflicts so far.

He watched Aiko smile at many of the people that they passed. She had always been quite polite and friendly. As he thought of that, he realized he had not yet seen what kind of progress she had made yet as far as combat went. With how hesitant she had been in the past, it was difficult for him to imagine her fighting.

Aiko looked around the village and when they got to the shop she began to speak to an older lady that seemed to be running the place. Gaara watched the woman point Aiko in several directions and then Aiko happily went about finding the things she needed. She bought rice and a few vegetables, along with some raw chicken and a few other little things that Gaara didn't note.

After she seemed pleased with all of her gathered items, she paid and then they left the shop. On their way back to the inn, she talked casually about how she was going to make some rice cakes for them to take on a picnic. "I would like you to take us back to that place you showed me and maybe we could spend a day there."

Gaara smiled warmly. "Of course." It did sound like it would be quite lovely.

When they got back to their room at the inn, Aiko got to work prepping the ingredients to make their food for the next day. She seemed absorbed in what she was preparing so Gaara decided to leave her alone for the moment and just relax. He leaned back on a pillow and closed his eyes. She worked quietly for a while and then stored everything away for the next day. She then crawled up next to him and rested her head on his chest.

"It has been quite wonderful being with you again." Aiko said quietly. She felt Gaara put his arm around her and squeeze a little. He did not have to say anything for Aiko to know that it had wounded him for her to leave. "I won't leave you again." She promised him.

Gaara closed his eyes and enjoyed Aiko being close to him. He hoped that her words would be proven true. He believed she meant them, but he couldn't deny in his heart the lingering fear that she would disappear again.

Aiko didn't mind his silence. His physical responses to her were enough acknowledgement for her. She felt fortunate that he had been so forgiving so quickly. Although she was feeling more secure with Gaara, she did worry about Hiroaki quite a lot. Her dream did not help with the anxiety she felt. Sometimes she felt as if he might be invading her mind but she tried to shake that paranoia. There was not enough evidence for that yet.

After a little while, Gaara noticed that Aiko had fallen asleep on him. Even then, he left her alone for a while and continued to lay there. He tried to fall asleep himself but found that his mind was plagued by anxieties as well. Hiroaki was one of them. Gaara did not know the extent of Hiroaki's desires but he was certain that they had not seen the last of him.

He didn't seem to be in a group of any kind as he was always alone when they met. He was just a man that was driven to extremes. Gaara tried to empathize, even without knowing the full details of Hiroaki's past. He didn't know what was driving him but he did have a few theories. Some suggested that he was simply driven by vengeance. That was something Gaara was familiar with. But then Hiroaki displayed more erratic behaviors, like kissing Aiko. Even she had been caught off guard.

Was Hiroaki just a master at head games and manipulation? That seemed a bit extravagant for this particular situation. Hiroaki had and would likely attack without warning, but it was still unclear what his goal was. He didn't seem to be aiming at him or Aiko previously. He only parted them briefly.

Gaara sighed as he began to feel his brain circulate through all of the possibilities. He worried that Aiko might be his target given that he had killed Mamoru. That seemed odd though as he could have likely handled her in Suna when he was still trusted.

He looked down at Aiko who was sleeping and very still except for her slow breathing. He pet her hair softly as she slept and found it soothing. His own eyes grew heavy and he began to drift away into sleep.

Gaara felt very light. He looked down and saw that he looked normal, he only felt different. He looked around feeling confused about what he was doing. His surroundings were unfamiliar. He was in forest and it was dim, like the sun was just rising or just setting. Every direction looked the same. Just trees with seemingly no end.

He decided to just begin walking. He took a few steps before he heard a voice. "Hello?" It was Aiko's voice. She was near. Gaara headed in the direction he was sure he heard her and walked into a large clearing. The grass was lush and green and he spotted a large tree with vines hanging down and around many of the branches.

Then he saw Aiko run from the woods on the other side of the clearing from him. She spotted him and immediately stopped, giving him a confused look. "Gaara?" She didn't seem sure that it really was him.

"Aiko, what is going on?" He asked her. She seemed very hesitant to approach him, and then he saw behind her another figure approaching. Gaara's eyes widened when he saw that the figure looked like him. He watched Aiko back away from the figure that mimicked him but he could see that she was uncertain of him as well.

Gaara and his look alike met eyes. His impersonator seemed confused upon seeing him as well and then he looked frustrated. He seemed to be thinking now. Gaara looked at Aiko who was eyeing both of them carefully but seemed less suspicious of him now. He watched as she closed her eyes tightly and opened them again. It hit Gaara then that he was asleep.

Gaara's eyes opened. Aiko was still sleeping still on him. He sat up and then shook her awake. She seemed startled and confused for a moment and then she got her bearings. "Are you okay?" He asked her.

She looked confused for a moment and then her eyes widened. "Wait, you were there?" She realized Gaara was in her dream again as himself. He nodded in response to her.

Aiko glanced out the window and saw that it was still very dark out. She was still very tired. Gaara touched her cheek and she looked back at him with a soft smile. He could see the fatigue in her eyes and wondered how often she actually did get a restful sleep. "Do dreams like that occur often?" He asked.

She looked down at the bed. "No. They started fairly recently." She replied honestly. "But it is okay. It will be fine." She added more cheerfully. In her own head, she was worried that Gaara seemed to get pulled into her dreams at times. She didn't know what to do about that though.

Gaara eyed her carefully and then decided not to press the issue for now. He could see that Aiko was not ready to deal with it fully. She closed her eyes and prayed silently that this would not become the norm. She didn't want Gaara to be constantly sucked into her fears and worries. When she looked at Gaara he was still staring at her. She could see the look of worry deep in his eyes and placed her hand on his cheek and smiled. "It is okay. Please do not worry." She said to him.

He placed his hand over hers and closed his eyes for a moment. Without saying anything else, Gaara laid back in bed again. Aiko moved up close to him and rested her head on his shoulder. They held hands as they tried to slumber again. Aiko fell asleep first again. Gaara stroked her hair until he managed to fall asleep himself.