Chapter 16:

"Tell me," Raxiel said as Gaara set their food down at the table and sat down in the chair across from her in the diner, "if you're the Kazekage of your country, wouldn't the townspeople want you to take a body guard or somebody else, in case of an emergency?"

Gaara glanced at her calmly. "Some of them have suggested that."

"And the others?" Raxiel asked curiously.

"Either they think I can take care of myself, or they want me to die."

"To die! Why?"

Gaara shrugged his shoulders slightly. "Revenge maybe, since I did kill others in my village when I was younger."

"Oh…"

"There is only a few that way though. Most of them have put behind the past."

"Well, that's good," Raxiel said looking downwards at her plate.

"He must have it rough," she thought to herself. "It'd be best if I changed the subject."

She shifted her eyes to Gaara again. He was eating his salad that he had ordered, and he seemed dissatisfied with it. Raxiel thought that now would be the perfect time for her to make conversation with him again. "So, is Suna big?" she asked curiously, now playing with her salad to see exactly what was all in it besides lettuce.

Gaara glanced up at her. "It basically covers a desert."

Raxiel's eyes widened with astonishment. "Really! A desert? Wow! How amusing."

Noticing her excitement and not wanting to take it away, he continued, "It's very dry, hot and windy. Sandstorms are something that happen almost every day."

"Sounds like a desert. What are the houses like there?"

"They're made of hardened sand. Anything else, and it would fill up with sand or be destroyed."

"Hmm… Is it crowded?" Raxiel asked, trying to keep the conversation going.

"Not particularly." He started to pick at his food again, and Raxiel started to do the same thing.

"Something's on his mind," she thought, trying to figure out why he wouldn't eat any of his food.

And Raxiel was correct…

Gaara was thinking about how that man next to Raxiel's room was staring at her window.

"Raxiel?"

Surprised to hear his voice after the long silence, Raxiel dropped her fork. "Yeah, Gaara?"

"Are you sure nothing happened with you while I was gone?"

Raxiel's eyes shot wide open. She kept her eyes down at her salad to make sure he couldn't catch onto her surprised face.

Suddenly, that salad didn't look so tasty as before…

"No, Gaara. Nothing else happened besides the cat in the tree. Why do you ask?"

"You had mentioned Orochimaru's gang, and I was wondering how you knew about them."

Raxiel knew she was trapped unless she had another brilliant idea…

Soon it hit her…

A flashback…

"There is just one thing I will ask of you. You mention to no one that you saw me. If you do, I will kill you."

"What's this about being doomed?"

Eureka!

Iruka!

"It's worth a shot," she thought, now having enough courage to look up at him. "When I was talking to Iruka, he started telling me about them. That's all," she stated innocently.

Gaara shot her a surprised stare. "Have you met anyone else besides Iruka and I?"

Raxiel's eyes started dancing, searching for an answer she could give him. Once an idea appeared in her head, she chuckled a little. "You're forgetting Naruto and the cat lady," she mumbled a little sarcastically.

"No one else? Not another man?" he said coldly.

Raxiel noticed his cold stare he was giving her. Picking up her fork to take another bite of her unwanted salad, she made it an excuse to look down at the plate.

"…No, Gaara, I haven't."

Gaara studied her for a minute, making sure she was telling the truth. Soon accepting her story, he began to eat like Raxiel was.

"It must have been a mistake," he thought, taking a bite of his salad.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

"Where to next!" Raxiel shouted cheerfully as they walked out of the diner and out into the streets.

Gaara looked around the noisy town with a displeased look. "Not here. Let's go some place else."

Soon Gaara and Raxiel were out of the town, now enjoying the quietness.

But Gaara could sense something was wrong…

Just at that moment, a ninja appeared in front of them. To Raxiel's own surprise, she helplessly shrieked that it even surprised Gaara. Again, he stepped in front of her.

The man quickly began to speak. "Sorry to bother you, but your presence is requested at the Hokage's Office. It's an emergency."

Gaara's eyes shot wide open. "I'll be there as soon as I can," he said, regaining his composure. Soon the ninja left and all that was left were Gaara, Raxiel, and the nature around them.

Gaara turned around the face Raxiel, his face full of seriousness. "Raxiel, I want you back in your room. I'll come get you when I'm done."

Raxiel looked at him with disbelief. "What! I can't just wait for you outside -?"

"No, Raxiel. Hurry back to the hotel, I mean it."

Raxiel knew…

Raxiel knew he meant it…

As Gaara started to gather energy – or in a word that Raxiel would not know, chakra- into his feet, he disappeared, leaving her alone.

So, Raxiel had the "wonderful" job of going back into her room and staying there, once again.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

"I think he ditched me," Raxiel thought, now bored of staring at the ceiling from her bed. An hour had passed since she had seen Gaara, and she was bored and impatient, ready for anything or anybody to come get her and take her some place besides this boring hotel.

"An hour and one minute!" Raxiel yelled out loud. She had been counting time since she had gotten into the room. "What could they be talking about for an hour and one minute?"

"We were talking about Suna," a voice said to her from her windowsill.

Raxiel sat up quickly and saw Gaara sitting on the sill, looking at her nonchalantly. "About time!" Raxiel said, impatiently. "What was the emergency?"

"…Orochimaru's gang. They're heading for Sunagakure."

Raxiel's eyes widened. "What?"

"It seems they're in search for more power than what they already have. Konoha has already warned Suna, but I need to get back there as soon as possible."

"Yeah, of course," Raxiel said abruptly.

Gaara stood up from the sill. "You, on the other hand, will be staying here."

Once again, Raxiel shot him a look of disbelief. "What! Why! Come on! You know I told you I'm a good fighter!"

"…Raxiel, -"

"Come on, Gaara! Let me go with you! I want to help you."

Gaara started to walk over to Raxiel who was only sitting up in her bed. He watched her eyes as they were dancing all around, moving across his face as if she could find a good explanation painted on his face.

"It would help me much if I knew you were here safe. I need you here. Do this for me, as a friend."

"Gaara, I want to fight, too."

"I know, but these ninja aren't small fry. They're much too powerful. Even for me to take on all of them would be committing suicide. When it's not so dangerous anymore, I'll send someone for you. I don't think it will take long, either."

"But –"

This time, Gaara glared at her. It was a deep, angry glare that Raxiel had never seen from him. "You just don't get it, do you? You don't know how much I want you safe, do you! Just like my smile makes you smile, your smile keeps me going. I don't want to lose it," Gaara snapped.

Raxiel shut up, this time, in complete shock.

Gaara knew all too well that he had said too much.

He cursed at himself…

"I'll come back for you as soon as I can. You will stay here."

"Why did I just say that?" Gaara thought. Swiftly Gaara left, leaving Raxiel flabbergasted.

What they didn't know was that someone had been listening in on them…

Red…