sorry for not updating sooner, the comp. went poof and had to go on a service visit and I lost all my writing.
Still not owning Narutoor his friends. sadly.
Chapter 6: the Sand Wall?
"So what do we do about Gaara?" Tsunade asked while rubbing her hands together and the plot making began.
In the other end of Suna Gaara sneezed.
'Am I catching a cold?' he thought rubbing his hand at the back of his head.
Everyone had disappeared and he felt awfully lonely, it seemed that everyone had forgotten him. All day he was supposed to do paperwork, so boring.
"Ohayo, Gaara-sama." A feminine and familiar voice said behind him.
"Ohayo, Temari-nee-san." Gaara simply answered turning towards the voice.
"We are here to give a report on our short mission to Konoha." Shikamaru said as he entered the room followed by Kankurou.
"Then report." Gaara said as he sat down in the Kazekage chair.
"Mission successful." Kankurou exclaimed.
"Well good. And Hokage-sama, was she fine?" Gaara asked the three persons in front of him.
"Yes. Troublesome woman." Shikamaru sighed.
"Gaara, lunch today?" Temari asked her younger brother.
"Why not, it's not like I have something else to do." Gaara started.
"I'm sorry, that was rude. I would love to." He continued.
"Come by in an hour?" Temari said smiling as the red haired young man nodded and they went out of the room and exited the tower.
Strolling down the street towards the home of Shikamaru and Temari, they sighed in relive, Gaara hadn't found out yet. As they entered the house they saw the funniest scene; Naruto on Kiba's shoulders trying to decorate, it was obvious that neither one of them had good balance. The others was using chakra (A/N: remember tree-climbing exercise?). Sakura, Ino, Hinata and Tenten were living the wild life in the kitchen, making pies and other delicious food. Temari shook her head as Naruto lost the little balance he had and with a thump landed hard on the floor.
"Itai!" he yelled, then started pouting:
"You are so mean Kiba…"
"You are the one without balance!" Kiba scrowled.
Temari couldn't help but giggle, turning to Shikamaru it was obvious that he was equally amused with the scene in front of them.
Kakashi, Iruka, Jiraya and Asuma was in a deep discussion involving who Iruka should date when he got home. Well, Iruka wasn't doing much talking, mostly listening. They were counting the eligible women in Konoha.
"How about…" Kakashi said, still thinking.
"Shizune." Jiraya blurted out.
"She's taken." Tsunade exclaimed.
"By whom?" Kakashi was stunned.
"Shiranui Genma." Tsunade said.
"What!" Asuma said, dropping the cigarette out of his mouth.
"Did she tame the notorious Genma?" Iruka asked shyly.
"Yup." Tsunade nodded.
"I'm impressed." Kakashi smiled. (A/N: Smiling, not smirking) he was happy for one of his best friends.
"So who is left?" Jiraya started the conversation again.
"Hmm" Asuma thought.
"How about Anko?" Tsunade said.
"Anko… she is scary." Asuma noted.
"And taken." Iruka giggled.
"By whom?" Kakashi asked.
"You…" Iruka answered.
"What?" Kakashi looked like he was caught with his pants down.
"She's my best friend, female that is, so she told me." Iruka blushed.
"Ah, the nights before we left." Kakashi pondered to himself, thinking about their dates before they left Konoha. Candels, dinner, movie - thogh he didn't remember much of that one.
"Yup" Iruka said blushing even more, showing that he really knew what had happened.
The decorating of the house was almost done and even the food was prepared. It was the 19th of January, Gaara's birthday and almost lunchtime. Everyone from Konoha masked their chakra and started the waiting period.
It wasn't long before they all noticed the Kazekage's chakra, moving towards them and a light knock on the door was heard. With everyone in their hiding place Temari straightened her clothes and moved towards the door, slowly opening it.
"Hello there Onii-chan." Temari said and welcomed her brother into her house. Closing the door, she nodded, the signal. They jumped out of their most creative hiding places, behind the sofa, in the kitchen under the staircase. And they began shouting:
"Sur…."
"Shield of Sand!" Gaara said and had a wall of sand in front of him.
"Prise….?" They continued evidently very shocked over the Kazekage's reaction.
Gaara carefully peeked around the sand wall's corner.
"Return." He said with a slight shade of red exposing itself on his cheeks. Then he continued with an explanation:
"Gomen. I didn't know it was you all. I've been a bit jumpy lately"
"It's okay, it's really nothing. Right guys!" Ino said while glaring at the others.
"Eh, no, no." Everybody agreed, still a tad shocked.
"Yeah, yeah." Naruto said, his blue eyes sparkling.
"Surprised?" the pink haired ninja asked.
"Slightly" Gaara said cool.
"Oh…" Sakura said a bit depressed, their attempt might have been a failure.
"Honestly? I was scared out of my wits." He admitted and made the pink haired woman smile, the green eyes sparkling.
Gaara had this strange feeling in the pit of his stomach something between extremely nervous and very content, but he didn't ponder on it. He just let the feeling guide him for a bit.
"Then we made it!" Ino squeeled.
"Success!" Naruto and Kiba yelled while making a high five.
"Time for lunch. And eat well, because tonight is the parade and the party, enjoying our beloved Kazekage's 20th birthday." Temari said.
"But…" Hinata began, while poking her index fingers together.
"We don't have any clothes." Ino said.
"Hmm." Sakura agreed and nodded her head, feeling a little bit down, looking at the young man in front of her, his beautiful eyes and his red hair. The tattoo over his left eye was getting a lot of attention.
'He's really hot' she thought blushing.
The lunch went with laughs, giggles and deep conversation. And some was flirting of course. With Jiraya and Tsunade in one end discussing the plot of his new Icha Icha book. He had a minor writing block, well writing smut isn't that hard, but making a plot around it – that's a different story. Gaara was at the other end of the table stealing glances at the young beauty sitting next to him. Temari noticed that he was preoccupied with something, looking at people. Especially the one that Shikamaru had mentioned at their meeting (A/N remember chapter 1?)
Well she had to admit that the pink haired woman had become a real beauty, a woman with class. Her sensei wasn't rubbing of on her, she was always on time, she didn't drink alcohol and she was definitely not a pervert. Maybe he could become the perfect sister in law. Then the next mission would probably be; Get Kankurou a girlfriend. Temari giggled at this thought. It wasn't just Temari that noticed the Kazekage's behaviour, a certain silver haired ex sensei of hers smirked and said:
"Well Gaara-sama. I think we should have a man to man talk some time soon. Right guys?"
"Yup" Jiraya said while Iruka and Asuma nodded.
"Well with the power of youth, we will join in." Gai exclaimed and Lee nodded in agreement.
"No." Gaara stated.
The sobs began from Lee and Gai that looked at each other.
"Lee….!"
"Gai-sensei!"
"Oh, put a sock in it." Gaara said knocking the two men wearing spandex suits. Tenten was quickly on her feet fiercely hugging the Kazekage.
"My hero!" she cried out.
"Hero?" Hyuuga Neji was confused.
"You made them stop!" Tenten was utterly happy.
"No problem Tenten-san." Gaara answered and tried to get out of her iron grip, and she slowly let him go. He was actually blushing, for the third time in just a couple of hours. Why was he feeling like this? He was extremely nervous.
Sakura was sitting in the living room area sipping on a glass of water. She saw the younger brother standing with his sister and brother thanking them for the lunch and bringing some guests that he actually knew and liked, more or less.
The pink haired woman was smiling, she was one of the few that was invited to the Kazekage's secret birthday party. Why couldn't she get up the guts to talk to him, was she such a coward? It was cold outside, even if it was the warm country of Suna, it was cold. A shiver came down her spine, she shrugged and got goose bumps.
This was noted by the young Kazekage who excused himself and walked over to the cold girl. He smiled at her offering a blanket to put around her shoulders. Gaara knew that it was always there in the living room area, because of Shikamaru sleeping there when ever he got Temari really angry. Sakura smiled weakly and nodded. Her way of saying yes please put it around me.
"Are you still cold?" Gaara was for the first time in his live worried about someone outside of his family.
"A little, but the blanket helped." Sakura replied, reminding herself of something she had forgotten and she continued:
"Kazekage-sama."
"Eh, please leave the title and the sama-part." Gaara scowled. He didn't want to intimidate the pink haired woman more than he already had, as on a cue he had a flashback to the chuunin exam eight years ago, when the Shukaku got out and he didn't know what love or caring was.
He shook his head and smiled at her as she nodded.
"So, is it… different… being…ehrm…old?" Sakura asked teasingly. And Gaara was quick to follow the joke:
"Yes, totally. Today I woke up with pain and aches everywhere."
"Just tell me where and I'll help you, you know that I'm a medic-nin now, right." Sakura stated and started quickly cursing herself for not getting that it was a joke.
"Maybe I will…" Gaara said looking deeply in to her green sparking eyes, and she blushed.
Gaara thought:
'Did I just make her blush? She is beautiful with that shade of red on her cheeks.'
And he started having this strange fuzzy feeling inside. His obsidian eyes were sad as he realized that she was way out of his league, he would never be able to have someone that kind and sweet, yet strong and fierce. She had been trained by the Hokage, she was an apprentice of this woman with a really high status. Well his own status wasn't that bad, but he wasn't trained by one of the legendary sannins, and even she was expected to surpass the skilled Hokage.
"Is too."
"Is not."
"Is too."
"Is not…"
Gaara was snapped put of his thoughts hearing Kakashi and Iruka arguing.
"It is not!" Iruka said crossing his arms over his chest giving Kakashi his best mad-school-teacher-glare.
"It sure is." Kakashi frowned, this man wasn't easy arguing or discussing with.
Now Kakashi had to consider himself beaten, in the discussion of who knew Anko best. Iruka and Anko had been working together for a long time, he as a teacher and she as an examiner.
"So how about the party tonight?" Tsunade asked as the others turned their eyes to the birthday boy.
"Well, it is the village way of congratulating me and bring their daughter's around so I can meet them." Gaara sighed.
"What you don't like girls?" Kiba blurted out.
"Yes, I do like girls. Just not them." Gaara said and his eyes wandered around the room, she wasn't there. Where could she be?
"So no formal clothing?" Shino asked.
"Come as you are or you se fit." Temari answered smiling, she did hate dressing up. Well, for Shikamaru she would dress up anyway he wanted, she blushed at the thought.
"Where is Sakura?" Gaara asked the young blonde woman with these intense blue eyes.
"She went out for some air with Naruto." Ino answered.
"Are they an item?" Gaara was curious.
"Nope, though they love each other." Ino said and Gaara's heart sank, she continued:
"But only as brother and sister. Why do you wonder?"
"No reason, they just seem so close." Gaara answered, just a tad relived.
"Mhm?" Ino shook her head and giggled.
"What?" the Kazekge asked.
"Nothing." Ino said smirking.
'Women are really strange.' Gaara thought.
Shaking his head Gaara left the room, walking out to the porch he met Naruto and they passed each other without a word. Then he saw the young woman sitting, staring at a single flower that had come to life, trough the winter.
A single tear fell from her eye, she hadn't seen Gaara yet. He wondered if he dared talking to her, now it was too late she had seen him and wiped away the tear with the back of her right hand.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't be crying when it's a time to celebrate." Sakura sniffled.
"No problem. Sometimes I feel like doing it to." Gaara tried to reassure the young woman.
"Why? You have almost everything." Sakura sighed.
"Do you think it's easy?" Gaara asked quietly.
"No, I didn't mean it like that." Sakura began.
"Everybody afraid of the Shukaku that was inside of me. No friends. My family, let's just say they weren't that good." Gaara continued.
"I'm so sorry." Sakura murmured.
"But now…I've met Naruto and everyone." Gaara said smiling and still continued:
"He did teach me a lot of things."
"He has that affect on people." Sakura praised her best friend.
Sakura shivered as she sat on the bench rubbing her hand on her opposite arms to keep warm.
"Still cold?" Gaara asked.
"Mhm…" she answered shivering again. He sat down next to her and put his arm around her.
"Better?" He wondered shyly.
"Yes." She blushed.
"So where do we go from here?" the young man said.
"How about to the party?" she answered and got up slowly, took hi hand and continued:
"Come now. I will protect you from the evil fan-girls."
He laghed:
"Coming."
The entered the house looking around they realized that Tsunade and Jiraya was missing when Gaara broke the silence:
"Where is the Hokage and the other sannin?"
Kakashi and Iruka sweat dropped, Asuma tried to answer the question but couldn't. Suddenly the Kazekage realized where they were and blushed saying:
"Oh…OH!"
"What?" Naruto still didn't get it.
"I'll tell you when you're older." Iruka sighed.
"But I'm older and I want to know now." He yelled.
"You know, when a man loves a woman, they…." Kakashi began.
"You're right! I don't wanna know!" Naruto screamed smacking his hands over his ears.
Sakura laughed at the other members of team 7. Gaara looked over to the young couple that went into the kitchen, doing the dishes after their lovely lunch together. He could admit openly that he was jealous of his older sister, wishing that he could find true love soon. Gaara walked towards the men having a heated discussion. Iruka said with feeling:
"Kakashi, you must be the most self centred, egoistic and perverted man that exists!"
"Perverted?" Gaara was dumbfounded.
"That he is." Sakura said as she joined up, standing next to the Kazekage.
"He is?" Gaara still hadn't got it.
"Maybe not the worst…" Iruka changed his mind as he saw Jiraya enter the room with a content smirk on his face. And Iruka continued:
"Jiraya is the one, writing all those perverted books…."
"That's me." Jiraya said waiving his hair and started to do his intro. Naruto smacked the sannin over his head knocking him out.
"Was that necessary?" Kakashi asked and grabbed something inside of his weapons pouch, bringing out an orange book with a warning sign posted on it.
"Pervert." Sakura mumbled.
"Did you say something Sakura-chan?" Kakashi said.
He knew her secret, she had actually read them too.
"So shall we go?" Temari interrupted the still blushing Sakura and smirking Kakashi.
"Mmm." Sakura nodded and almost ran out of the room followed by the rest.
Sighing Gaara got up from his sitting position, Indian-style on the floor. He didn't like being the center of attention and through the parade he was going to sit in a chariot waiving to all the people there celebrating his birthday. And every year the crowd was getting bigger and bigger. Every year he was so alone no one that he loved or cared about was there, except Kankurou, Temari and Shikamaru. But this year was different, the Konoha residents were there, his friends and family, and she was there, the young woman that he just met again. Every time he saw her, he began having these crazy, fuzzy feelings in his stomach, a kind of queasy feeling yet exited. Just like the day he was announced the Kazekage, but very different in many ways.
What was he supposed to do?
