Chapter 7: Empty Spaces

Graves stood at even intervals, marking the passage of deceased individuals onto the next life. Naruto and Sakura stood before one of them, watching the stone tablet with sad eyes. Engraved in the stone was the word Chiyo. They watched the grave solemnly, thinking about the individual that the stone marked. The Sand Siblings, Masao, Gai's team, and Kakashi stood back from the two, watching in the background. Though he didn't want to, Lee told them, "Sakura-san, Naruto-kun, we're about to leave now."

The blond nodded and replied, "Right! Let's get going Sakura-chan." The wind began to blow and the kunoichi took one last look at the grave and ran her hand along the top. Sadly, she moved away from it, thinking, Chiyo-sama, arigatou.

The sun beat down brightly on the scene in front of the entrance to Sunagakure. The wind blew the sand gently around the ankles of those there, and rustled the hair and clothes of said ninja. Team Gai: Hyuuga Neji, Tenten, Rock Lee, Maito Gai; Team Kakashi: Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto, Hatake Kakashi; and the Sand siblings: Temari, a hoodless Kankurou, and Gaara. Also a strange addition to the group, Ai Masao, from Hikarigakure, standing next to the Kazekage with a small smile on her face.

"See ya," Kankurou said to them, his arms crossed across his chest.

Naruto, looking startled, replied, "Y-yeah…" His blue eyes met Gaara's aqua ones and the blond scratched his cheek indecisively. "I guess this is when you normally shake hands and part ways but… I'm bad at the kind of thing! So…" Surprised, Naruto cut off when Gaara extended his right hand to him. Masao smiled quietly, along with the rest of the group, even Neji.

He hesitated, watching Gaara uncertainly, and Masao bit her lip. C'mon Naruto-nisan! It won't kill you! She noticed him glance down at his hand and followed his gaze. She smiled once more when she saw the sand Gaara lightly wrapped around his hand. The former jinchūriki lifted his hand up, and the current one smiled softly as they grasped each others hands. "Sakura-nechan," she said to the pink haired girl. "Thanks."

"Same to you Masao-kun," she replied, hugging the maroon haired girl. "Good luck with Gaara," she added in a whisper. Masao nodded and glanced back at the rest of the Konoha shinobi.

"Thank you all, for helping bring him back." She kissed Neji and Lee's cheek, shook Kakashi, Gai, and Tenten's hand, and embraced Naruto tightly, who scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. The all of them glanced at the redhead, who simply shrugged, meaning that this was standard Masao conduct. "Especially you, Naruto-nisan…" she told him in an undertone as she hugged him, "for understanding him when I couldn't be there." He smiled at her as she let go, and waved farewell as they turned to leave. The four watched the group vanish into the swirling sand; back on their way home.

"Now what?" Kankurou asked. Temari caught his eye and jerked her head for them to leave. He smiled lopsidedly and nodded, vanishing after his elder sister. Gaara turned, sensing that they were gone, turned around in surprise. Masao suddenly jumped on him in a hug, burying her face in his shoulder.

I'm not afraid to go backwards

Fix what we broke

My gaze falls behind

You make desire seem so easy

I hold off sleep

It's so silent without you here

Can't give up now

It would all be for nothing

She scolded, "Don't ever do that again, baka!" He looked at her hair in slight surprise, but made no move to return the embrace. "I was really worried about you." He glanced at the ground and she pulled back, looking miffed. Pouting she asked, "I risk my ass for you and this is the thanks I get? You being a coldhearted bastard again?"

'Cause I believe in second chances

I believe the years forget

So let me fill these empty spaces

Better late than never / I'll stay forever

Let me fill this empty space

'Cause there's always room for one more mistake

Gaara blinked and sighed. "Masao, I'm grateful, really I am. And I thank you for helping Naruto and the rest of the Konoha shinobi. But now that it's over I really think you should…" He trailed off when he noted her angry expression and took a step back in shock.

"Nothing you say is going to make me leave," she told him harshly, pressing a finger to his chest. "I've been thinking for the past year and a half, Gaara, and I swear to God or whoever's out there I will not be separated from you again!" The redhead was speechless. He didn't know how to respond to that at all, even though he felt… he felt the same way. He didn't want her to leave. He never wanted to be separated from her in the first place, but instinct told him it was the right thing to do. "And," she continued, as if reading his mind, "you can't use the excuse of 'being a monster' anymore. Shukaku's gone now, so what's your justification this time, huh!"

Gaara's eyes gaped open slightly, watching the Sorakage's angry face in trepidation. She glared at the ground, and a tear dripped down her nose into the sand. "Masao…" he said worriedly, reaching a hand out to her awkwardly. "I didn't mean…"

"I'm sure you didn't mean it Gaara," she replied, wiping her face off. "But you did it anyway." She stomped her foot angrily and glared at him with teary eyes. "Why the hell can't you just accept that I love you!" He felt his cheeks color, and turned away to hide it from her, but she saw it. And felt relief blossom in her heart. "Why can't you accept it?"

Can you feel that?

I think we're moving in the right direction

I was someone else then

I'd take it back if you would let me

"I…" he replied, watching the sand dance across the ground as the wind picked up. "Masao, I just…" He turned around and sighed, running a hand through his vermillion hair, the scarlet color on his cheeks extending up to the bridge of his nose. "I just don't want anything to happen to you…"

She shook her head. "What could happen?"

"Anything could happen Masao," Gaara replied exasperatedly, trying to retain a calm demeanor and rationalize with her at the same time. "I'm the Kazekage, and that means anyone with a connection to me like that would be in danger." She snorted and he furrowed his brow in a slight show of anger. "What?"

Smiling brightly, she asked, "Is that all?"

""Is that all?' Well, I think it might be a problem."

"Look," she told him, counting each thing out on her hand. "I'm a shinobi, I'm the Sorakage for my village, I'm ANBU, and I took on an Akatsuki member and came out on top. You'd think I'd be used to danger by now. And besides! Temari and Kankurou are your brother and sister! They're even closer to you than I am!"

Gaara breathed deeply and looked her over. "You're rather persistent aren't you?"

She shrugged and replied, "I have to be otherwise you'd walk all over me." He turned away from her and watched the ground with annoyance written all over his face. "Gaara…" Masao's voice was soft, and it surprised him, as he had easily become accustomed to her new, impetuous behavior. He tilted his head in wait. "I've wanted to ask you… for awhile now… why did you… leave all that time ago!" Her voice rose in slight hysterics by the end of the sentence and crossed her arms.

He sighed and spun to look at her face. Tears filled her downcast eyes, and he wanted nothing more than to make her pain go away. Placing his hands on her shoulders he said, "Masao." She refused to acknowledge his touch, and his firm hold was the only thing preventing her from shying away from him. He implored, "Masao, please. Look at me." She gulped slightly and met his aquamarine eyes with anxiety, her grey ones watery from crying. "I'm… sorry. I shouldn't have… made you cry like that. It was… extremely selfish of me." His hands slipped off of her shoulders and he glared at the ground with angry eyes.

"G-Gaara…" she whispered. His face scrunched faintly, and he could feel his heart pound. She was doing it again, what she always did to him. Gaara never could understand why she was the one who was able to change his heart so much. It just happened, beyond his control. All frost melts under the correct circumstances. And he supposed Masao might just be the event melting the ice around his heart. He just doesn't get it…! Maybe… he mused, love isn't supposed to make sense…

'Cause I believe in second chances

I believe the years forget

Let me fill these empty spaces

Better late than never / I'll stay forever

Let me fill this empty space

'Cause there's always room for one more mistake

"Everybody makes blunders," she told him, watching her sandals. She shook her head, trying to make him understand how frustrated this was making her. She could explain it over and over, but that wasn't the problem, him understanding it. No, the problem was him acknowledging it at all. "I think fresh starts have always been in order for this relationship. Something this convoluted isn't going to go right the first time, you know…"

Gaara slipped his arms around her and she blushed, surprised, and stared over his shoulder at the cloudless sky. The wind blew her hair, and she felt tears swell up in her silvery eyes. "I think you're right, Masao," he told her softly. She returned the embrace tightly, the dams breaking as the water flowed down her cheeks. He pulled back and very lightly brushed his lips against hers, causing her face to turn redder and a slight smile to grace her lips. "Aishiteru… Masao-chan."

She gasped, and held her hand to her mouth. It was the first time he ever told her so. With so much emotion in his words and his eyes, Masao could tell that he truly meant it. That he was completely serious about it this time around and the prospect of it made her so happy that she could barely contain herself. "I love you, too," was all she could whisper out to him.

We were never this close

When we were young

Every night I'd whisper your name

At the top of my lungs

I'm not afraid

I'm not afraid

Masao stood on her tiptoes to try to kiss him again, but ended up grabbing his sleeve and collapsing onto the ground, her bad leg buckling out from underneath her. He landed next to her as she laughed energetically, dusting herself and him off lightly. "Are you… all right?" Gaara glanced down at her leg and frowned in concern. It was bleeding quite profusely now, and she ended her chortling nervously.

She told him, scratching the back of her head, "There's a funny story behind that… But it doesn't put you in a very good light…"

He looked appalled at the thought. "I did that?" he asked, his eyes wide in dismay.

"Erm, well, yes… but don't have a heart attack over it I'm fine," she consoled when he looked about ready to kill himself. "Yo, do not go all suicidal on me Gaara, okay? That'd be a hot mess after I went through all this crap for you." He still looked rather desperate so she stood back up and walked around slightly. "See? I'm fine."

Gaara was still not convinced. "I'm so sorry Masao, I really am. I didn't mean to! It was an accident…" He trailed off when she pulled him to his feet and kissed him. Smiling she glomped his head and laughed as the bridge of his nose turned slightly red.

(There's always room)

Better late than never

(For one more mistake)

I'll stay forever

"Don't be silly. I never held you accountable in the first place." Before he could make a reply Masao grabbed his arm with both hands and pulled him towards the village. "C'mon Gaara! Let's go see Kankurou and Temari, okay? I want to tell them the good news!" He followed her, watching the young woman's face closely. Her eyes were bright and uplifted, and her face had lost all of the plumpness it had once held when they were younger, making it more shapely. She was very pretty, but also, she was quite a bit shorter than he was, barely making it up to his nose. She had a thin bandage across her left cheek and a few wrapped under her bangs from the cut Kenji gave her.

Gaara suddenly looked rather serious, and she cocked an eyebrow as she waited for him to say what was on his tongue. "Masao, I know it seems…" he started, wringing his hands uncertainly. "That I really didn't care… at the end." Her eyes half closed and she intertwined her fingers together uncomfortably. He inhaled deeply and absently scratched his forehead. "Well, I just want you to know… that I did, okay?" She nodded slightly and he blinked in surprise.

"I always knew, I imagine, in the back of my mind." He met her eyes, and a smile graced his lips. She laughed and commented, playfully astonished, "Gaara-chan… you're smiling." He nodded in agreement and slipped his hand in hers as they headed back towards Sunagakure.

"I am aren't I? But then again, I had a good teacher, ne?" Her eyes grew very soft as a blush tainted her pale cheeks, and she watched the ground shyly.

What a strange turn of events… he thought amusedly. If someone had told him this series of occurrences were to happen in his near future, he would have questioned their sanity. But then again, Shukaku was gone, though most definitely not for good now in the hands of the Akatsuki, Masao was back with him, and Sunagakure was safe from harm. Maybe this was the knowledge he had lacked the first time he met Masao. He had someone to share his feelings with, the suffering, sadness, and joy; as well as the pleasure, love, and pain. And here, in this end, it was different for him… and for her.

'Cause there's always room for one more mistake

Always room for one mistake

Always room for one mistake