Chapter 21: Wishes

The tiny fish swam in a cluster of reds, oranges and yellows, in the small clear tub, some speckled, some solid colored. The idea of catch goldfish to keep as pets had always seemed silly to Kira, and having such a pet - one that lived in water no less - in a desert village seemed even more so. Yet, here she was, standing in front of the damn thing, arms aching from crutches as she watched Aya chase the fish around with a tiny net. The blond seemed to be after a particular one, bright red with white spots on it's back half, the tail fin streaked.

Well, at least Kira had been right in her assumptions of what to expect for her time at the festival. Aya had shown up an hour before things had gotten started and basically trapped both Temari and the shadow user in one room, demanding that the three of them get ready together. The eldest sand sibling had agreed after one wary glance to Kira, who had grimaced but not denied her friend the activity she enjoyed so greatly.

So, she sat through it all, being stuffed into a yukata, having her hair played with - the works. Thankfully she got to keep her shoes - or shoe as it were - since the cast prevented traditional footwear and Kira had pointed out she might trip in them. Aya had huffed but relented, Temari smirking at the easy going friendship of the two ANBU.

Now, hours later, Kira was doned in fabric that held the stars and sky, her hair glittering with ribbons at the base of her pony tail. It was all very pretty if you ignored the eyesores that were her cast and crutches.

"Got it!" Aya crowd, her prey trapped in the tiny net, the man running the stall hurrying to save the poor thing as he placed it in a bag of water and tied it off. He handed it to the blond who clutched it eagerly between both hands and turned to look at Kira. "You sure you don't want one? We could find you a chair so you could sit down and do it." The offer was sweet but Kira simply shook her head and smiled slightly.

"I'm good. I don't see how I'd have time to take care of one." She half wondered how Aya was planning to. Maybe her mother was willing to look after the thing. Not wanting to give Aya time to try and convince her, Kira moved from the stand, the click of her crutches bearing her weight lost in the high murmur of voices that littered the stands around them. The blond followed her, keeping to her side as a way to keep people from tripping Kira who was having trouble as it was in the yukata. "Let's go find the others and some food. I'm starving," she offered. She had no idea what had happened to any of the sand siblings, Temari slipping away soon after they'd left for the event, so it was just the two of them, but everyone had agreed to meet up for food later, which was now.

"Alright. I think Temari said something about that food tent down the way, maybe they're there now?" Aya didn't wait for an answer, just started on her way, forcing Kira to follow after her as fast as she could. The blond had slowed her steps, but Kira was still slower than her. That fact alone was probably the most annoying part about her injury.

They did indeed find the siblings hanging near the large food tent, Kankuro leaning against a one of the support polls as his sister peered at whatever was being sold there. Gaara was standing near them, arms crossed and a distant look about him that nearly screamed boredom. This really wasn't his kind of thing, but as a leader he had to be seen supporting the festival.

Aya went scampering up to them, stopping in front of the puppet master and nearly shoving her prize in his face - which was clear of paint for once, his brown hair visible without the hood. He gave her an annoyed look, trying to lean away from the bag only to be denied due to the beam he was leaning against. At the first words from the blond, Gaara seemed to break from whatever trance he'd been in, blinking and looking to her before his eyes flickered to Kira who had just gotten to them a few moments after Aya. The shadow user gave her friend a small smile, shifting on her crutches, her under arms screaming as per usual. Temari also came to life, turning from the stand and moving closer to the group.

"Good you're here. We should have just enough time to eat before the main event starts," she said as way of ushering the group into the undercover eating area. They snagged a table and a waiter was there in moments handing out menus and bowing to Gaara before heading to another table she was serving.

Dinner went by in a happy haze of banter and conversation, Kira perched on the end of one bench because of her leg. Kankuro sat beside her, nudging her when she went quiet for too long. Gaara was the only one more silent than her, which was normal, yet something seemed off about it. Kira saw him give a weary half smile when Aya mentioned the speech he was supposed to give before the 'big event' and Kira caught the worried look in his eyes.

Was it possible he was nervous about it?

The bill was on the house, as the owner insisted it was a thank you to the Kazekage for the event - it had raked it quite a sum for the business - and no one quiet knew how to refuse that. Still, as the group was leaving, Kira dropped a few yen on the table for the waiter who was still scrambling around, far too busy to even realize it.

Gaara was the only one who saw her do it as he waited at the back of the group for her to catch up. They made eye contact and she saw him smirk slightly at her defince but said nothing, both of them falling into step side by side a few feet behind the three chattering older ninjas. They walked in quiet company for a few minutes, the buzzing of the people around them filling the air, a few of the citizens stopping to greet their leader. A small group off to the side caught her eye, wearing frowns and narrowed eyes firmly directed at the two of them and Kira couldn't help but want to step away from the redhead, if only for a second. It seemed those rumors were getting more and more real. Clenching her hands tighter around the handles of her crutches Kira simply smiled at them before returning her attention elsewhere, forcing herself not to move away because they didn't understand, didn't know anything. Focusing on the warm, fluttering feeling she got from walking next to him.

Kankuro was right. It was enough, for now. The sun had all but set now, an even stream of people going in the same direction they were to pick up lanterns and commune around the chosen site for the lift off. Kira saw Gaara fidget slightly with the collar of his formal wear, the dark red of the top going well with his hair. She bit her lip, looking forward and then figured she should try and help.

"Not sure what you should say?" She figured it was best to not ease into the topic given the time frame that crept closer which each step. She felt his gaze swivel to her, surprised and she just smiled slightly, keeping her eyes forward as to not make it seem too personal out in public. There were enough murmurs about them as it was. Gaara, seemed to understand that.

"I have never felt very adequate when it came to speeches."

"Oh I don't know about that," Kira mused. "I remember quite a few people talking about the one you made right before the war. Seems you set some ninja straight." She had already been gone with the rest of her advanced unit and didn't know what he had said, only that it had been what people had needed to hear. She was curious and she made a note to ask Tenten or Temari if they could recall any of it. Gaara gave a small sigh, and Kira glanced at him from the corner of him eye. He was looking forward, face masked in an unreadable expression saved for when he didn't want his emotions to show there.

"That was different," he argued and Kira hummed.

"Not really, I mean, yes it's not the same environment, but it's about the same subject isn't it?" She tilted her head slightly, eyes still looking at him and she caught his gaze when he looked over, confused. "It's about hope, right? We're honoring the fallen, yes, but couldn't you say this is also about looking forward to what happens next? A future without the Akatsuki and Madara. A world where the idea of peace isn't impossible?" After all, the nations had worked together to bring down the threat, one could say they understood each other better now.

"Is that what you believe?" Gaara asked as they rounded the corner, coming to the village center, where an open commons was laid out. People were already gathering around, paper lanterns in many hands, the lights within them flickering like the stars above. They stopped and Kira watched her three other friends move to grab their own and took the chance to turn and look at the redhead. She gave him a small smile, one that spoke volumes for her confidence in him. She tried to ignore the constant flutter in her chest at being so close to him now, gazes locked.

If only he knew.

"It's what I hope for," she replied finally. "It's what we've earned, don't you think?" She let her smile widen, growing stronger as Gaara's brows pulled together. He did have a tendency to over think what she said to him and she might have said something else if he hadn't suddenly given a small nod in agreement.

"Kira!" Aya's voice draws her attention back forward, the blond standing with two lanterns - one for her and one for Kira since she couldn't hold one - and grinning. "Come on guys! It's about to start!"

The Sand siblings were nowhere in sight and Kira could only guess they'd moved to a spot near the front where Gaara would be. Kira glanced at Gaara before giving a small jerk of her chin and heading towards the blond, the sand user close behind. They made their way up to the front, weaving through people who parted for Gaara and intentionally made it easier for Kira as well. She wondered if that was why the redhead had suddenly moved in front of the other two. Aya giggled slightly, confirming her suspicions. Kira felt her face flush and she quickly looked down, willing the heat from her face.

Kankuro and Temari stood at the front of the gathering crowd, a bit off to the side, lanterns in hand, the former standing next to a chair. He grinned at the shadow user who flushed slightly as he pointed at the chair in a 'use it' motion. Glancing at the crowd once she ducked her head and did as she was asked, secretly grateful to get off her feet. Crutches on the ground next to her, Aya handed her the paper lantern and Kira held it in tentative fingers. It was made of rice paper, the flickering flame of the wick inside made cloudy by the opaque screen. Delicate golden flowers weaving around the Suna symbol were the only decorations and they seemed to light up in random glittering patterns due to the flame.

Kira didn't realise Gaara had left them, taking the extra lantern from his sister and moving to the front of the crow until the buzzing of people had suddenly stopped. She'd looked up then, finding Gaara atop a small risen pillar of sand so that everyone could see him. Dressed as he was, with the fire light under his face, Kira couldn't help but think he looked stunning and bit her lip to stop her thoughts. He was silent for a few long moments of time and her heart clenched, worry taking her. Had his mind gone blank? She saw his eyes flash among the crowd, landing on their little corner and she gave him an encouraging smile and nodded her head ever so slightly. He looked forward once more, and above the crowd he spoke, voice carrying on the wind as if it too wanted to hear his words.

"Looking back on the last few months, I realise how short of a time has passed since those dark days shadowed this village, this entire world. I recall those who gave their lives to shed light upon us once again, chasing away such darkness. This village has lost much, not just in the war but in the last few years, and it is because of that..." He paused, as if to catch his breath and Kira glanced over the crowd, looking upon the sober faces of those still gripped by the pain of that loss and slowly looked back to Gaara, only to see him glance in her direction at the same time. "I was told once, that mourning those we have lost, is easier when we aren't alone, and that is why tonight we gather together to remember them, not to grieve but to thank them and to bid them safe journey to the next world and what lies before them."

Kira's breath caught in her throat. That was… She had been the one that had told him that, months ago. She wasn't sure if she was surprised he had remembered, or if it was simply because she hadn't thought it had made that big of an impact on him. Her hands tightened around the base of the lantern, paper crinkling. She was...she didn't know how to describe how she felt.

"This is our chance to thank them for all they have done in clearing a path to a better future for all of us here," Gaara continued and raised his hand, holding the lantern in front of him. "I ask you to lift these flames into the wind with hope for the future they gave us and praise for the war we won." It was a clear ending, but people didn't clap or cheer like they might have in a different scenario, but followed suit as Gaara simply closed his eyes and did just as he said. Kira watched as the people around them held their lanterns near and then shut their eyes to the world around them as well. Swallowing, Kira glanced back up to Gaara for a moment before taking in a long breath and bowing her head, eyes sliding shut, the world around her quiet with only the slight rustle of clothes shifting in the wind. Her list was small, but Kira spoke to them anyway, hoping her thoughts reached them across the planes of existence.

She thought of Neji and the blind girl, Reiska, she'd seen with him and wondered if somewhere in the world after death they had found each other. She hoped they had; it was the least they deserved.

She thought of all the people she'd didn't know the names of that had been lost in the war, of the samurai she couldn't save. She thought of Lady Chiyo and the ANBU that had died when Gaara had been taken. She wished them all peace.

Then, she thought of her parents, the people who had raised her. Of the man she'd met in that hospital room and only gotten to call dad for a little less than a month before he had passed away. Of her mom, the brilliant, bright woman who had been laid to rest merely three months ago. Would they be proud of her now? Would they be happy that she had lived and fought so hard for the world? Of course they were, she realised, because they had always told her to do her best and that was indeed what she'd done. Now, Kira just had to deal with what lay in front of her. That was easier thought than actually done.

"I hope you guys are looking out for me, wherever it is you are. I promise I'll find happiness in this world, and I'll make you proud. I love you."

When she opened her eyes, Kira found some people had already let their Lanterns go into the wind, while others still had their eyes closed. She scanned the area before meeting blue-green eyes across the distance. Gaara tilted his head slightly, lantern in hand, a silent question. Kira smiled and lifted her own above her head, arms stretched straight. Keeping eye contact with Gaara was easier from such a distance, and she didn't break it, not until she felt a strong gust of wind pull at the paper in her hands. Her smile twitched on her lips and after another moment Kira let go, hands lowering to her lap as she looked up at the sky, and watched as Gaara let his fly off as well.

Kira watched as both of their lanterns floated higher and higher into the sky among the dozens of others. Soon the air was filled with them, a river of light in the sky as the wind carried them away into the night. People began cheering then, Aya's voice ringing in her ears close by along with Kankuro's. Kira knew that within the next hour or so those paper lanterns would either burn up in the sky or fall to the earth along the large stretch of sand they were headed towards, but in her mind Kira hoped for something more.

She could imagine the lanterns reaching out to those who had been thought of before their release. She saw them being held in the hands of loved ones, an ear close to the flickering flame as if it were speaking the words to them. Her mind knew that couldn't happen, but in Kira's heart she let herself believe that, if only for a moment. The lights were so bright in the sky above, overpowering the stars that hung there that she could scarcely think any differently.

As the cheering roared around her, Aya leaned over Kira's shoulder from behind the chair and looped her arms around the shadow user and grinned. Laughter overtook her for a moment, the air so thick with positive energy that she couldn't help it.

She wondered if that feeling, that moment, was what hope was really like.

…

She beat him to their meeting spot on the Kazekage tower, which he really wasn't too surprised about. Normally he figured it would have been really hard to get up there with her leg, but thanks to her Shadow Shift ability she'd probably just moved that way rather than take all the stairs. Not that Gaara took stairs either, the sand cloud he'd been on slowly dispersing as he landed on the roof.

It had taken him a few minutes after she had left for the redhead to get away from his siblings and the rest of the village after everything had finished up. Thankfully most were headed back their homes now, the celebration mostly over. Only some groups stayed out, heading to go drink at a bar or chatter late into the night. Gaara had enough of group socializing for a while, but didn't mind meeting Kira like they planned.

She was sitting over the edge like always, legs dangling, thought she did sit a bit to one side due to the heavy cast. At his approach she cocked her head over her shoulder and smiled at him in greeting. He simply nodded in return. She was still wearing the formal attire from before, fabric printed with the night sky. A few of the glowing bugs that had sparked this meeting were already out and about, a stray hovering near his friend.

He joined her, sitting down close by in case she lost her balance and went a bit too far forward. Her balance had been off since the injury and he couldn't blame her for it. Didn't mean he wasn't going to take precautions.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, eyes flickering to her leg. It was the only injury she still had left from the war. The bruising was gone and the stitches had been taken out. He tried not to see the thin line of a scar that marred her lower cheek and cut into her lips.

"Just a bit tired," she assured him, smiling still as she looked back out over the village. "Been a long day, but a good one I think." She fidgeted for a moment, playing with the end of a strand of hair that was over her shoulder. "What you said during the lantern lighting… I was surprised that you remembered that, what I said to you." Glancing at him she smiled slightly again. "It meant a lot."

Gaara raised a pale brow at her. Had she truly though her words hadn't made an impact on him? It was true their friendship had still been on the newer side but there was no reason for her to assume he'd forgotten. "You've never said anything that wasn't meaningful Kira," he pointed out. "Everything you ever told me, the advice you've given, I won't forget it." He watched her blink rapidly for a moment, throat working slightly as if to find a response. Color bloomed on her face and she quickly looked forward again, shoulders hunching slightly. Gaara tilted his head, confused. Was she embarrassed?

He let the air remain quiet for a few minutes, let both of their thoughts collect as he watched one of the fireflies bob to and fro in the air in front of him. It was such a small being in this world, yet it shone so bright. "Do you believe it?" Kira asked suddenly, drawing his attention. She was looking at him again, color back to normal. "What you said I mean? Do you think the future will be bright, better than it had been before? I know that's what I told you but… I was wondering if that's what you truly thought too." Her eyes flickered to the ledge between them for a moment before looking back up.

She was getting so much better with eye contact between the two of them, it made Gaara smile softly at the thought of her being stronger than before. It was part of the proof that drove his answer to her question. "We've all seen enough darkness in these last few years that it has brought us together in a way that had never happened before. What everyone saw in that genjustu was fake but in a way it was also true. Showed us all something we could learn from I believe." Even if it hurt to think about a life that could never be, Gaara still thought it had opened people's eyes a bit more to their own goals, even if they had already known them. "So yes, I do believe things will be better."

Kira nodded her head slightly, biting her lower lip for a moment. "Yeah, that's a good way to look at it, I suppose. When I was under that...There were some things that I had always wanted, things like my foster parents being my real parents and being alive and younger and happy and I was born here, I... " she sighed, shaking her head slightly as if to break from those memories. Gaara's chest tightened, the sudden need to tell her that she wasn't an outsider here, even though he knew she often felt like she was. Not knowing where she came from, who she was before coming to Suna, didn't help the matter. His father had done everything he could to make sure she was a stray.

Hesitantly, he reached out and touched the wrist of her closest hand, the one lying between them. She twitched and looking at him again, confused.

"You do belong here, Kira. You'll always have a place here, no matter where you were born," he assured her and she blinked again before smiling brightly, tilting her head just a bit to one side.

"I know..." She shifted a bit and cleared her throat slightly before Gaara took his hand back when she moved her own onto her lap with the other. "What I mean," she continued, "is that I saw those wants, but I also saw things that I… didn't really know I wanted. Things that I subconsciously did but never really thought about." She was deflecting the subject but Gaara let her for now. He knew that was a sore subject and was surprised she'd even been willing to say that much about it. So, instead of insisting he followed her lead.

"Like what?" Not many people had been willing to share what they'd seen. It was either too painful or too personal but he will admit he'd been curious. He watched her seem to think something over carefully as she looked down at her lap, flexing and unflexing her fingers. She bit at her lip again before finally answering.

"...The way people were ninjas was different," she started, causing him to give her raised brows again. She shrugged her shoulders slightly, glancing at him. "Children that wanted to be ninja still went to the academy like now but it wasn't so simple, so short. They spent years training, starting around I think age twelve and then it sounded like you were done around eighteen. From there you were put into your squad or assignments. Everyone had childhoods that were happy, not..." She sighed again, seemingly unsure how to word it. "Not what we're use to."

Gaara found himself staring at her, but not really at her at all. His mind reeled at that idea, that reality where none of his family or friends would have been on the battlefield at such a young age. He recalled months ago when he'd been sitting with Kira after her mother had died, how he'd wondered when it had become common place for the young and small to fight the battles of the old. How it had become normal for children - as both of them were still considered that - to take on the emotions and tasks of someone so much older then them. Kira described a world where that wasn't what had happened. Where young hearts too naive to understand the impact of what killing someone would do to them, grew up more before taking on such hardships.

It didn't surprise him that Kira would want that, dream of something like that, for a chance at a normal younger life. If her dream was real, neither of them would be where they were now, not for another year or so. They would be normal kids, still training in school and not worrying about the next mission and if they'd make it back. He wouldn't be Kazekage, and she wouldn't be an ANBU.

"That's an interesting idea," he said finally, catching her eyes again as she looked up. "It would be a better world, if that were true." He wondered if it would be possible to ever have that be true. What was the norm now had been so for a very long time, since before the village was even built. He doubted such a change would come easily, if at all, but he wasn't willing to dismiss it, not yet. So he'd keep it hidden away in his mind for another day to fish out when the time was right once more.

"It's weird," Kira added, eyes forwards, watching a small cluster of fireflies. "To think that the world could be so different, that we could be different. I wasn't… I was me, yes, but I was different."

"You were?"

She nodded her head, glancing at him. "I was...I didn't have any of the problems that were caused by my training. I was confident, almost care free in a way. Looking back on it now it seems weird, everyone seemed… off in someway. Probably because things didn't happen like they did here."

Gaara took a moment to think those words over, reflecting on what he had seen as well. She was right, it had been like looking into a pool of water, almost the same yet shifting with the breeze. Would Kira have been like she described if she had been able to live a normal life? He knew that answer. Yes, she would have, because every event in a person's live's molds the outcome. He wondered how much of her life, of his life, would have been different. Would she have made the same connections, bonds as she had now?

"Was I there?" he asked suddenly, unable to stop himself. Would they have even met if their lives had been normal? Kira was older then him by a year, so they wouldn't have been in the same classes. For some reason, he really wanted to know if them meeting was only because of the negative events in their lives.

Kira cocked her head to the side, brows raising before a smile pulled at her lips. He knew then she'd read between the lines of his question without a problem. "Of course you were," she said slyly. "Your family was there too, normal and happy. Your father was still in power." She shifted a bit, seeming to try to find a way to word everything, hesitation flickering across her face for a moment. "We were… We were close. Grew up together with your siblings." Something in her voice seemed to fluctuate, as if she'd cut herself off from something. Was she not telling him something? Curiosity nagged at him, but he shoved it away, reminding himself that it was a very personal topic. He should be glad with what she was willing to share, even if it wasn't all of it. "What about you?"

Her question caught him off guard and Gaara was left staring at her blankly for a few moments trying to figure out just what she was talking about.

"What about me?" he questioned, mimicking her head tilt. She snorted slightly, glancing away again, that odd red flush scattering across her cheekbones again.

"I mean," she clarified. "Was I... well, was I in your 'perfect world'?"

Oh.

Gaara paused, thinking back to his time under the Tsukiyomi. He wasn't sure how to go about telling her what he'd seen. That they all been children again, young children around ten years of age and that yes she had been there, along with Naruto. The first time he'd seen her in the perfect world, Kira had the short hair he'd seen on her in that old photo and the shadow user had nearly launched herself at him in greeting, giving him a tight hug and nearly giggling a 'good morning Gaara!'

How to tell her that he'd watched as if it were normal as time passed and the three of them went to school together and then ended up on the same team. Kira had been knocking sense into Naruto and smiling at him from over her shoulder when the spell had been broken.

Gaara swallowed, his throat suddenly tighter than normal. It seemed he'd wanted her to have a normal life too, though it was no secret in his mind. It was interesting that they would both have such similar dreams. "You were," he said finally. "In much the same way I was in your's. You were smiling and laughing." That was one of the things he truly enjoyed, to watch as her face lit up. He saw something flicker over her face, too quick to really read it before she covered it up with a smile, a thoughtful expression on her face as she looked forward again.

"You know, they might have been fake, but I think, maybe it can give us goals for the future," she said quietly. "I want to be more like the me in our dreams. I don't want to feel… like I do so much of the time. I want to be stronger, more confident in myself." Her hand moved, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear that had fallen free from its places. Her eyes seemed to stare off into the distance, seeing her goal stretched out across the sky. It reminded him of the tattoo drawn across her back.

The sky has room for every star.

A star, a dream, a goal for everyone to be able to reach out for.

It was a goal that Gaara could stand behind as well, maybe something he himself should try for - to make a goal to better himself. He wasn't sure it was so easy to simply attain them, but he was willing to try. "Once you're healed," he said suddenly, drawing her gaze to his again. "We should start training again." They hadn't gotten much time to learn to fight together, not when the war had been so close at hand. The slow grin that formed on her face seemed to rival the stars in brightness making the young ruler's chest clench in that warm tight feeling he got every time she smiled like that. He didn't understand it, but he liked the feeling.

"That sounds great. I'll be getting this thing off in a few days, switching to a brace." She waved a hand at her leg. Clearly she wasn't a fan of the news, but it was a step in the right direction. "I have a few things I wanted to show you anyway. Maybe you can help me figure out how to expand on them?" She tilted her head in question and Gaara felt the twitch of a smile on his face.

"Of course."

As time wore on, more fireflies filled the air, a few buzzing between and around them. Gaara had to stop himself from batting them away as he watched Kira hold out a hand, pointer finger extended near one. The bug, after a few moments, landed on the finger for a second, skittering across her skin before taking off again. She glanced at him, still smiling before she blinking suddenly, as if remembering a thought long lost in her mind.

"Oh, hey, we should probably do what we came up here to do, eh?" She rubbed the back of her neck, for a moment and Gaara raised a brow. What was she talking about? They were already here talking just like they'd planned. "We were planning on catching the fireflies, yeah?" she pointed out, grinning wider. Gaara eyed her carefully. She did realise they didn't have anything to catch them with, didn't she? Whatever she saw on his face must have relayed that thought because she rolled her eyes and then held out a hand, hesitating for only a moment. "...Give me your hand."

Her own was steady in the air waiting and Gaara stared at it for a long minute before finally letting her do whatever it was she was planning and placed his nearest hand in her waiting one. She seemed to contemplate for a moment, before her hand moved, turning his own palm up and closing his fingers, manually curling them so he was cupping the air. She fidgeted a bit, her own fingers shivered across his palm as she placed it in the air, below a few of the glowing bugs.

"Hold it there," she mumbled, eyes flicking away from his gaze again. Gaara raised a brow but gave a short nod, holding his hand exactly where she left it. Her own lifted, moving above the three little bugs and mirrored his own, cupping it, palm down. Than, very carefully, he watched as she slowly herded the bugs with her hand, pressing down at such a small speed that they didn't buzz off in any direction, simply bobbing up and down lower and lower as her hand closed the distance between it and his own.

Before he knew it their hand were touching, finger tips feather light against each other's wrists, hands forming a small cage around the fireflies. They buzzed within, their light leaking out between cracks in fingers and hands. It was a nearly magical sight, as if they held one of the stars above in their own hands, the light spilling out to touch them both. Kira smiled on the other side of it, the light softly touching her features and setting them aglow. Breathtaking. It was the only word Gaara could come up with in that moment, the warm feel in his chest back stronger than ever.

He couldn't find any words to say to her, none that really encompassed what he felt, none that would mean nearly enough. So he simply smiled back at her, fingers twitching slightly as a bug bumped into it within the cage. It felt like they were holding their own dreams in their hands, as if Kira had plucked those stars from the sky. It only made him feel more confident in the days to come, because if they could hold their dreams so close then maybe they truly were attainable.

Kira lifted her hand and they both watched as the little glowing bugs dispersed back into the air, carrying with them both their hopes for a better future.

This chapter was heavey inspired by the song 'Casecade' by Unlimits, which when tranlated into English discribes Gaara and Kira perfectly.

'In our hands, clasped together
Light has been born - now, let's set it free.'

Yeah I know, you all love-hate me. lol.

Thats all the fluff you get, time to get back to the plot!

Please tell me what you think!

DROH