Aiko woke up early and carefully moved out of the bed as Gaara still slept. She changed her clothes into something more appropriate for traversing through the woodlands. She dressed in black tights and a long natural green shirtdress. After loosely braiding her hair, she went to work on preparing the rest of their food.
Gaara awoke to the sound of Aiko finishing up packing. Aiko smiled cheerfully at him as he got up to get dressed. As he got up from the bed, she stood up and walked over to him. Without any hesitation she kissed him. Gaara was surprised and his eyes went wide for a moment. She pulled back and he still looked surprised which made Aiko laugh a little. Then without saying anything she turned back around and finished her light packing for their little journey.
He dressed in a dark maroon outfit with a vest over the top of it. After equipping his normal ninja tool belt and gourd, he was ready. It was still early but the sun was up and the day was calm and clear. "Are you ready Gaara?" Aiko asked him. He nodded in response and they began to leave the inn and then the village.
The morning air was refreshing for Aiko and she found that she very much enjoyed the early morning. Most people were not as active as she already was and it was peaceful. The ones that were out so early had tasks to complete for the day. She watched Gaara as he lead them down the road. He seemed calm and very unfazed by the few people they passed. His head was held high and confident. She couldn't help but feel envious. She wanted to be able to walk through a crowd of strangers and not be put off.
Gaara noticed her looking at him and smiled warmly at her. She blushed and smiled back at him before looking ahead again. The road was beginning to become isolated as she recalled that it would. "Are we close?" Aiko asked. She had a feeling that they were and it turned out that she was not far off.
"It is just a little further." Gaara replied without hesitation.
Aiko stared at him again and then asked her question. "How do you recall this location so well?"
He could not help but smile. "It is one of my favorite places." Because of this, Gaara found it hard to forget. Things like how the trees looked and how the area felt helped him remember. He could smell moisture in the air more prominently and the trees appeared to be colored with more vibrant greens.
Eventually he stopped and then they began the walk through the woods. Aiko wasn't fond of this part of the journey but she followed close behind Gaara and kept her complaints to herself. It wasn't very long before they got to the clearing.
Aiko got excited when she was able to hear the sound of rushing water. She smiled when she saw the area again. It was just as beautiful as the first time she saw it. The water was glittering and clear. The vegetation was lush and vibrant. There was a clear area of grass near the water and Aiko set her bag down there and pulled out a blanket and laid it out.
Gaara walked closer to the pool of water and looked in. He saw some little fish swimming around. He knelt down and touched the water which was very comfortable as it usually was. He smiled to himself before returning to where Aiko had set up a small picnic for them. She was sitting on her knees and had poured them both some tea.
He sat down casually with her. "Thank you." He said. She smiled warmly at him and then took a sip of her own tea.
It was quiet except for the water and the birds. There little chance of encountering another person. Aiko was still amazed that Gaara ever found this place. It was very calming and she imagined it was a great source of relief for him when he could come here. He liked this place enough to be able to find it over and over again.
Aiko looked at Gaara and noticed that he had closed his eyes. She looked around again and wondered if he was listening to something in particular. Ultimately she decided he would likely say if there was some kind of problem and he was probably just relaxing like she was. She pulled out the food she had made for them and they ate and drank the tea.
As they ate Aiko decided to break the silence. "I was wondering Gaara," She began. "What did you do while I was gone?"
Gaara looked down at his tea and then back at her. "I did my normal duties as the Kazekage and when I could, I would travel with Kankuro to look for you." That is mostly what his time had consisted of.
"Did the council give you any trouble?" She asked. He looked away again. Aiko noticed him tense slightly and she knew that they had. "I am very sorry for the trouble that I have caused you." She said.
Gaara took her hand in his. "You are worth any trouble I might face." He said, looking deep into her eyes. She blushed and then smiled feeling flattered.
Aiko finished her tea and set her cup down before standing up. Gaara watched her walk over to the water and place her hand in it. She became distracted by watching the small colorful fish swim around her hand. Occasionally she could feel their slippery bodies brush against her hand.
After a few moments of that, he watched as she took off her sandals and stepped into the water. He finished his tea and then walked over to where she was. She looked up and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. Gaara decided to take off his sandals and join her. They stood together for a few moments and then he took her hand. He closed his eyes for just a moment before looking at her. She met his gaze and then they moved close together.
Aiko put her hand behind his head and gently grasped his hair. Gaara pressed his body gently forward against hers. She leaned up and kissed him and he returned her affections eagerly. She felt him put his hands on the small of her back and push her closer to him even though it wasn't really possible to get closer.
She pulled away to take a breath. He seemed a little surprised at first and then she kissed him again. He stumbled back a little in the water. When he regained his balance, he took a more firm hold of her. When they parted again Aiko looked up at him. Part of her still found it quite amazing that he cared for her the way he did. He had so many other things to pay attention to.
She recalled painting him well before they ever even met. She remembered staring at it, trying to figure out who he was. When she dreamed of him he was protective of her but he never did speak to her. Aiko closed her eyes and laughed to herself. "Did you know that I used to have dreams about you before I came here?"
Gaara was surprised. "No." He looked at her slightly puzzled.
"That's why I was so shocked when we first met. I had expected you to be an older man." She shook her head, finding it humorous now.
He wasn't sure what to say but hoped that she had good dreams. He remembered how she stared at him when they met. It made more sense now. He smiled at her again and she rested her head on his chest. Gaara rested his cheek oh her head gently. She listened to the steady beats of his heart and they embraced like that for a while.
"Who would have thought I would ever really meet you?" Aiko said quietly. She felt Gaara squeeze her softly feeling glad that they had met. He wondered what he might be doing right now if they had not met. Perhaps he would have been married already by the council. Even during the time Aiko was gone they had attempted to arrange a different marriage for him.
"I never could have dreamed of meeting you." Gaara said honestly. "But now I don't have to."
Aiko blushed deeply but stayed where she was. They remained like that for a while longer. When Aiko finally did pull herself away she looked at Gaara and smiled cheerfully. Her cheeks reddened as she spoke. "I am going... I'm going for a swim." She finally managed to say. She stepped out of the water briefly and removed her leggings and then her shirtdress. He noticed that she had planned to swim. She had worn a simple black one piece. She pulled the ribbon from her hair and let it fall over her shoulders and down her back before drifting into the water.
Gaara watched as Aiko went deeper into the pool. He could see her easily with the water being so clear, even when she took a breath and submerged herself. Gaara decided to remove his clothing and did so down to just his pants. He had tied his pants up higher around his calves. He wasn't particularly interested in swimming but he did follow in the shallows around where Aiko swam.
The waterfall wasn't incredibly powerful. There was not much distance for the water to fall so Aiko was able to swim very close to it. She could feel the mist from the splashing hit her face and a gentle current push against her. She was easily able to hold herself in place. She then let her body relax and floated on her back with the current.
Gaara walked back the way he came, following Aiko's position. He looked at the flora as he walked and felt completely relaxed. He looked back at her as she floated through the water. Her eyes were closed and she seemed oblivious to the world around her. Sometimes he wished that he could disconnect the way she seemed to.
As Aiko floated she heard a voice. 'Be weary.' It warned. Aiko opened her eyes but continued to float as if nothing had happened. She tried to think of what she should be weary of. Gaara noticed her open her eyes. For a brief moment she seemed to be surprised. Then she looked normal again before closing her eyes again.
She continued to float through the water and as she reached the shallow end of the water she put her hands into the ground and pushed herself up out of the water. She sat for a moment in the shallow water and then she heard Gaara approaching through the water. She leaned back and looked up at him. By the look on his face she knew that he was about to question her.
"I just heard its voice." She explained vaguely. Gaara wondered what she might have heard but before he could ask, Aiko quoted it. "Be weary. That is all it said." She explained.
Aiko stood up out of the water. She walked passed Gaara and out of the water to get dried off and dressed again. Without saying anything, she cleaned up their picnic area and packed everything back up. Gaara took the time to get redressed and by the time he had finished, Aiko had quickly finished cleaning up any evidence of their presence. He could tell she wasn't interested in speaking further of the warning that she had gotten.
"Are you worried?" He asked her and she kept her eyes down.
She responded quietly. "I'm not even sure what to worry about." For a moment, they were quiet.
Then Aiko stood up. "Shall we return?" She asked him with a cheerful smile. He nodded and began to walk past her knowing exactly where they needed to go. Aiko quickly followed and they made their way back to a road. They were still pretty far out as the sun began to go down. As they walked Aiko began to loosely braid her hair over her shoulder.
While she finished her braid Gaara suddenly stopped. Aiko didn't notice and walked into him. "Oh, I'm sorry." She said as the end of her braid fell from her hands. She noticed Gaara noticing something that she couldn't see. "What is it?" She asked him quietly as her eyes darted around looking for something.
He didn't respond at first. He did reach back though and take a gentle hold of her arm. He pulled her closer to him and she watched his head quickly turn to another direction. She couldn't see or sense what he was sensing. This made her extremely nervous.
The sun had not completely set yet so they could still see a fair distance. It took Aiko longer to finally see it but then she saw the distant figure approaching them. She instinctively gripped Gaara's arm, unsure of what they should do. He remained still and kept his eyes on the figure that continued moving closer to them.
As he grew closer, they could see that it was Hiroaki. He was hiding his chakra but otherwise approached them without hesitation. Aiko found this very off putting and Gaara was reasonably suspicious. She was half hiding behind him.
Hiroaki smiled more to himself than anything as he approached. He was glad to see Aiko but annoyed to see her clinging to Gaara. He was fully aware that hurting Gaara would wound her but he was willing to make the sacrifice. She would heal with his guidance.
Without moving Gaara had sand swirling around himself and Aiko. Aiko herself was still unsure of what she should be doing. Hiroaki stopped a few meters away. He put his hand out. "Aiko, please join me." He said to her.
Aiko looked at Gaara but he refused to take his eyes off Hiroaki. She looked back at Hiroaki as well and glared. She then closed her eyes and turned her head to the side. She didn't want to give Hiroaki the satisfaction of a response. He frowned and put his hand back to his side.
"Just know that you have done this to yourself." He said to Aiko and then he put his sights on Gaara.
Aiko visibly tensed. Gaara's eyes widened but he remained still otherwise. "I won't let him hurt you." Gaara said to Aiko. She didn't respond and tried to calm herself more. This was not the first time that she had faced Hiroaki and this time she wasn't alone. With those sentiments, she was able to find courage and readied herself alongside Gaara.
"I won't let him hurt you either." Aiko managed to say. Gaara briefly looked her way and could see her trembling but she prepared herself anyways. It was clear that she had every intention of fighting with him.
"Please don't make this more difficult." Hiroaki spoke in a pleading tone, looking at Aiko. He seemed to be purposefully ignoring Gaara's presence. He then disappeared. Aiko and Gaara both looked around but a moment later Hiroaki appeared right in front of Gaara. Aiko was able to respond quicker than Gaara's sand shield and she threw up a wall of energy that Hiroaki attempted to stab through.
Hiroaki quickly realized his attempt had failed and jumped several feet back. A force of sand was already following him. It smashed into the ground where Hiroaki was. Aiko turned her head anxiously, not wanting to see any life being ended. When she looked back she saw Hiroaki was still fine. She felt slightly relieved but knew that it would have been better for her if he was gone.
"Please listen Aiko." Hiroaki spoke to her. "You are in the company of a monster!" She hated how certain he sounded. "Come with me! I can save you!"
Aiko looked at him finally. Her eyes were filled with frustration but she still managed to refrain from speaking to him. She just wanted him to go away. She wondered how she had misjudged him so much. What did he even want at this point? Had he not hurt her enough? She looked away from him again and proceeded to move more closely towards Gaara. This pushed Hiroaki.
"Fine then." Hiroaki sad and proceeded to make hand signs before disappearing again. He reappeared suddenly in between Aiko and Gaara. They both were surprised and wide eyed. Hiroaki kicked Gaara back with force and then turned to Aiko. She reacted quickly and put her hands out. A wave of invisible force struck Hiroaki and forced him away.
Aiko quickly tried to move back to Gaara. As she began to run back over to him she felt Hiroaki grab a firm hold of her hair. He pulled her back forcefully. She took a hold of his wrist. "Let go of me!" She demanded but he did not loosen his grip. Gaara had recovered and sent another wave of sand towards Hiroaki.
Hiroaki attempted to move Aiko along with him but she had pulled a kunai out and stabbed at him. He released her hair and managed to dodge her and Gaara's attack. Gaara was quick to move back to where Aiko was. Without hesitation Gaara had made several hand signs and a large wave of sand moved with great force towards Hiroaki.
"Are you alright?" Gaara asked. His tone was stressed and Aiko answered quickly to try and ease him.
"Yes, I'm fine." She tried to reassure but she felt her voice shaking. Gaara could see her fear and became even more protective. Hiroaki tried to approach several more times but each time Gaara was able to shield them.
Aiko stood up next to Gaara and tried to ready herself. Hiroaki saw this and his anger was fueled again. He wondered why she couldn't see the monster next to her. He drew close again and another wall of sand smashed against him forcing him back.
Hiroaki began to stand again and Gaara spoke. "Stop this Hiroaki." His tone was both demanding and pleading. Aiko remained close to Gaara and watched the sand float protectively around them. Then she looked at Hiroaki. His eyes were full of fury and determination. Aiko gripped Gaara's shoulder anxiously.
She began hastily trying to come up with a way to deal with this situation. Before she could put much thought to it though, Hiroaki began to attack again. He targeted Gaara mostly but it was clear part of his intent was to separate them. She tried to help Gaara defensively by throwing up protective barriers to slow Hiroaki. Along with Gaara's ultimate defenses, Hiroaki began to have trouble. With Aiko's help, Gaara could act more offensively and he did. Waves of sand crashed into the ground and trees as they chased Hiroaki who danced around them swiftly.
Still, Hiroaki was very persistent. He demonstrated a wide knowledge of nin-jutsu and tai-jutsu. He was fast and he was skilled but Gaara was able to keep up. Standing there with him, Aiko felt very small and powerless but she continued to do what she could. Gaara had forced quite a gab between them and Hiroaki but he did not seem ready to give up.
'Pay attention!' A familiar voice said to Aiko. She glanced behind her and saw Hiroaki running at them from behind.
"Gaara!" Aiko shouted and she threw up a protective barrier. Hiroaki hit in with a great force of his chakra and she felt it shatter, her own energy being thrust back upon her. She was forced back but she did not hit the ground. A wave of Gaara's sand had caught her even as he was staring at the real Hiroaki now. The other had vanished as he had struck Aiko's barrier.
Gaara made several hand signs and the sand began to enclose himself and Aiko. Hiroaki attempted to attack but the sand hardened fast and was infused with a large amount of chakra, making it even denser. Aiko sat up and rested her head in her hands.
She felt his hands grip her shoulders gently. "Aiko, are you alright?" He asked her.
"I'm fine." She answered quickly but did not look up. Her voice sounded slightly panicked. He could feel her trembling and this led him to make a decision.
"Wait here." He told her and she looked up at him.
"What? No!" She argued as he stood up. She attempted to do the same but found that the sand had taken a hold of her ankles. He would not look back at her. "Gaara!" The sand opened for him and he stepped out, the sand enclosing her inside. She was then released and she went to the side of her small protective prison. "Let me out!" She demanded in a distressed voice. The wall of sand was so dense though, she wasn't sure he could even hear her.
Tears tugged at her eyes and she tried to blink them away. Outside Hiroaki was waiting for Gaara. A wicked smile appeared when he saw that he intended to keep Aiko in the protective sand barrier.
"Perhaps she will be grateful when I free her from that prison." Hiroaki did not respond. He made several hand signs and then placed his hands on the ground. The earth began to grow soft beneath Hiroaki's feet.
Inside the barrier Aiko tried to think of a way out. She had no idea what was happening on the outside but she didn't know that she was strong enough to get through one of Gaara's defenses. She sat down again and tried to calm herself down.
'Concentrate.' The Third Eye spoke.
Aiko rolled her eyes. "On what?" She asked aloud. One thing she had noticed was that the Third Eye liked to be vague. Still, she decided to try a few things. She concentrated on forcing a wave of chakra against the sand around her. With all of the strength she could summon, Aiko pushed against the sand. Even with all of her effort, she could feel her chakra unable to break through. "He's too strong." Aiko said hopelessly.
Before she could try again, a hand broke through the barrier from the outside. Aiko cried out, startled by the sudden break in the barrier. She moved away from the searching arm of who she was certain was Hiroaki. He tried to reach in further but the wall of sand behind her began to crumble away. Instead the sand now was surrounding Hiroaki and holding him in place.
She took the opportunity to get away. The ground had been covered in a thick layer of sand and some of the trees in the area had been damaged as well. As she looked around Gaara had made his way to her. She looked back at Hiroaki but all she could see was his arm. He seemed to be struggling.
"Are you going to kill him?" Aiko asked Gaara apprehensively.
"He will continue to pursue us if I do not." He said calmly.
She looked at Gaara, concern flooded on her face. "Please, don't kill him. Can you not just lock him away?" Her tone was pleading. He hesitated but at least relieved some of the pressure he was putting on Hiroaki. He also freed his face of the sand so that he could breathe and see but he still would not free him entirely.
Aiko sighed a breathe of relief but she would not look at Hiroaki although she could feel his gaze upon her. "Thank you." She said quietly to Gaara.
"Are you serious Aiko?" Hiroaki said to her with frustration. "You would stay with a man that would trap you against your will?"
A flash of anger filled her and she turned and looked at him. "What makes you any better in that scenario? You are trying to do the same thing!" She accused.
"No!" Hiroaki denied. "I want to free you! I know you do not understand, and that it hurts but you will see once I can free you!"
Her anger faded and she looked at Hiroaki bewildered. The thought crossed her mind that he was really delusional. She wasn't even sure what to say to him at this point.
Gaara placed a hand on her shoulder. "Come. We need to take him to Suna." He said. Aiko simply nodded in response and they began to walk, Hiroaki trapped in Gaara's sand behind them.