Chapter 50
Of Things That Are Precious

The storm had finally approached.

Relentlessly, the blizzard tore through the isolated mountain village at night as the unforgiving winds howled against the forested mountainside. Snow covered nearly every home in Yama, with only the glow of their windows visible in the white dark. While Kankurō sat close to the space heater in the open living room area upon a rug of animal hide, Gaara stood before the frost tinted window – watching the blinding snow rain down from the dark night skies as the winds whisked it against the mountain path. Suddenly, he could feel a cold chill from further down the dimly lit corridor to his side. Turning, he saw Nomasaki close the sliding wooden door with a thud and a lock, small remnants of snow sprayed before her feet on the tatami floor. After brushing off the remaining fragments of snow from the lap of her blue kimono-like dress, she hung her cloak upon the hook on the wall. Sensing his warm and familiar chakra, she looked to her side – meeting Gaara's gaze as she saw him begin to approach her.

"Gaara," She spoke, watching him pause before her.

"Where were you?" He asked, his eyes showing visible concern. "You disappeared after the meeting. Your father was asking where you went."

Her eyes closing, she took a calming breath – setting aside her negative feelings. "I had to see for myself… if he really did change."

"You spoke to Sasuke?"

"You were right about him," She nodded, meeting his concerned gaze. "He's no threat to us, so like you… I trusted him." Averting his eyes, she looked down at her side, clutching her arm with her lilac eyes closed halfway – feeling ashamed. "Although his chakra still makes me nervous, I'll admit I can be too judgmental at times…" Looking up at him, she gave him a sympathetic glance riddled with past guilt. "…as I was when I first met you and sensed Shukaku."

With a faint smile in understanding, he gave a small nod. "You have your reasons, everyone does. You recognize that, and admitting your wrongs is worth more than affirming your truth."

Softly, she smiled at him. "I suppose it is."

Making their way into the living room, they noticed Kankurō huddled before the small heating unit in the far reaches of the room – desperately trying to warm his hands as his body tremored from the rising cold as the winds quaked the house. Sitting beside Gaara on the couch, Kankurō turned around to face her. "When will this storm let up?" He shivered, his expression grimacing. "Any idea when? We should be descending down that godforsaken mountain by now..."

"Not sure, but probably not until morning," She sighed with a light smile. "The mountains in this land are treacherous, especially in times like these. We sometimes get storms that last days on end. That's why Yamagakure is still isolated from the other villages, the peak itself is our natural defense from invaders… but also our reason for little outside contact."

Slightly surprised from her words, Kankurō shuddered, a faint groan escaping his lips as he turned back to face the amber glow of the heater. "Of course…"

With a rapid flicker of light, the power suddenly went out in the large winding home - shutting off the space heater in a bright burst that faded to black while the winds howled outside. Startling them slightly, the cold suddenly became obvious as it seeped through the panels of wood that constructed the walls on the outside of the home. Standing up in the dark, she stepped towards the icy window of the porch. Outside, the blizzard was merciless. Already there were houses in Yama that were near buried by the depths of white, and not a single light was visible from the homes.

The entire village was in darkness.

Starting for the sunken hearth in the center of the large living room, she pulled back her sleeves and started preparing to clean its ashes. "Kankurō," She asked, glancing back to him. "Can you fetch me some firewood from the porch?"

Curious for a moment, he stood up – nodding once. "Sure."

Once he returned with the kindling, she organized the wood into a small pointed arrangement covered in pine needles – lighting the small pyre with two pieces of flint. Relaxing her sleeves, she poked at the growing contained fire with a metal iron as its heat began to radiate within the room around them. As the three shinobi sat around the flaming hearth with warm cups of green tea at their sides, she softly smiled to herself. "When the weather gets like this, the power goes out nearly every time," She said. "So a warm fire is always good to have."

"The climate here certainly is different than back home," Kankurō added, stretching his arms as he laid back onto the tatami floor – taking off his pointed head covering and scratching his head of messy brown hair. "Sand and snow… complete opposites. How you managed to live through both beats me."

"They're not so different," She replied, turning to him with a friendly smile. "It's more of an… adjustment." Looking down at her lap as she held her tea in her hands, she silently chuckled to herself. "To be honest, I'd rather trek through a blizzard than a sandstorm any day. At least in a blizzard I know where to take shelter, and I'm more bothered by heat than I am of the cold."

Noticing his younger brother's silence, Kankurō sat up on his palms, giving him a smug smirk. "The sandstorms don't bother you so much. Do they, Gaara?"

"Not really," Gaara answered, glancing to him from his side as his arms were crossed against his chest. Looking back into the fire before him, he remembered his battle with the assassin in the snow riddled landscape of the Land of Rivers – and his struggle to use his sand in the encounter. "At least in a sandstorm I can control the situation. In this land, I'm put at a huge disadvantage… Using my sands in the snow takes more effort and more chakra to gather the minerals."

"But that's when your Magnet Release can be a benefit, right?" Nomasaki asked, curiously. "You can use other minerals and mix them with your sand."

"Yeah," Gaara nodded towards her. "Although, the less I use it, the better. It uses a fair bit of chakra to keep up."

Startled, Kankurō flinched in her direction. "S-She knows?"

"Yes," Gaara nodded, his expression stoic. "I told her."

"When?"

"A few weeks ago, when she was assigned as my bodyguard to the Summit."

Sighing in slight dismay, Kankurō laid his back down upon the floor. Crossing his arms behind his head, he lay before the warm fire. "You've only been together a few weeks after being separated and you go tell her all our clan's secrets…" He scoffed in a joking manner. "Gaara, for someone as tight-lipped as you I'm surprised."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Gaara questioned, shooting him an annoyed glare from narrowed eyes.

"What do you think?"

"No, I don't."

"Exactly."

Watching their brotherly interactions with another in front of the fiery hearth, she chuckled to herself. Warmed by their presence in her family's home, she felt truly at peace - and loved. As she finished her tea, she let out a tired yawn, her canines briefly making an appearance. Sensing her mind grow tired and ache for sleep, she stood up from the warmed tatami floor between the two brothers.

"You're leaving?" Kankurō asked, sitting up as he glanced at her. "You turning in?"

"Yeah," She nodded. "I'm think I'm going to turn in for the night. I'll see you two in the morning. Hopefully the snow will stop so we can have easy passage back to the village." Starting for the dark corridor, she paused for a moment, placing her fingers on the paper wall beside her as she glanced at them with a soft smile. "Would one of you be able to put the fire out for me?"

"Uh," He paused. "Sure."

As he looked across the fire towards her, Gaara met the gleam of her lilac eyes from across the room. They shared a gaze together, although briefly. After she gave a gentle smile towards him, she disappeared into the shadows of the corridor and her footsteps became silent. When she was gone, Gaara went back to minding his own business. Taking note of their interaction, Kankurō gave his younger brother a smug smirk.

"What is it?" Gaara asked, sensing his gaze in his direction. "What's that look for?"

"Nothing," Kankurō sighed. "It's just… interesting."

"What's interesting?"

"You two," He chuckled to himself after taking a sip of his warm tea. "Seeing you two together as a couple is just something I should get used to. After all, to me it was obvious that it was bound to happen at some point... sooner or later, I mean."

"How so?" Gaara asked, feeling slightly vulnerable from his comments.

"The way you two look at each other," Kankurō replied, turning to him. "That's a dead giveaway. You've always cared for her, even when we found out of her spying for that dissident Kenzō. Your eyes gave it away... not to mention the way you act when she's around. You change from being a stoic and stone-faced Kage to a humble and kind sort of guy. That, and you rejecting the arranged marriage without a second thought. It was for her, wasn't it?"

Surprised by his conclusion, Gaara directed his attention to the flicker of embers before them. "Yes, it was."

With a tired sigh, Kankurō laid back down upon the floor and pondered over the events from the last few days. "It's still weird that the council was so adamant about that arrangement…" He scoffed to himself. "I mean, you're the youngest of our family. If anything, they should have cornered me with that ultimatum."

From his brother's words, Gaara gazed into the fire grew deeper, his ringed eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion as thoughts gathered in his mind. What Kankurō said made sense to him, so why was he the target for the arranged marriage? The entire point of the arranged marriage was to ensure a heir to the Kazekage clan would be born, but if Temari and Shikamaru were to produce a child, that would have fulfilled the purpose – although, a child born of Konoha. Kankurō would have been the ideal choice for the marriage, as he was the oldest male descendent of their father's line to the Kazekage clan. Something did not make sense.

So why were the advisors so bent on marrying himself, the previous jinchuriki of Shukaku?

Was it because of his position as Kazekage?

Or something more that he was presently unaware of?

Sensing another investigation into the council's inner workings was in order, Gaara remained silent as his glare fixated upon the crackling fire within the cold night. Those bastards may have been hiding something from me... just as Kenzō hid his intentions all those years behind my father and myself.

"Gaara?"

Quietly, footsteps approached them from the shadowy cover of the hallway. Turning towards the pausing footsteps, Kyō stood them at the edge of the corridor holding a lit candle in his palm. "It's getting late, and the blizzard doesn't seem to be letting up." Kyō spoke, gesturing to the hall behind him as he turned to the Kazekage and his brother. "I'm sorry you are unable to return to your village as scheduled. There are rooms for you two if you needed somewhere to sleep for the night."

"Thank you," Gaara nodded, snapping him out of his daze into the fire. "That's very kind."

As Kyō walked off into the darkness from the visiting Kazekage and his bodyguard, he exchanged a brief glance with the young leader from the glint of his aged hazel eyes – almost as if to imply trust. Before disappearing down the darkened corridor, he nodded his head towards the corridor gesturing for him to follow. While Kankurō relaxed before the comforting hearth, Gaara stood up from the floor and joined the chieftain in the hallway.

Walking further down towards the end of the corridor in the snow-filled night while the winds howled without end, Kyō paused, turning to face the young Kazekage with a serious yet pleading tint in his hazel eyes. "Kazekage-sama, no… Gaara," He started, correcting himself. "Before you return to Suna, there's something I must make clear to you."

"What is it?" Gaara asked, curious while his face was stoic and calm. "Do you have need of Suna?"

"No, nothing like that. This is a matter I wish to discuss with the... chosen partner of my daughter - not the Kazekage."

The chieftain's words surprised him. Staying silent, Gaara stood to hear what her father had to say. Kyō closed his eyes, preparing his spiel to the young man who stood before him in the hallway. "I know that you and my daughter have known each other for quite a while. You've been through a lot together, and care deeply for one another…" He opened his eyes, his glance at him once again turning serious. "But… as her father, I must ask that if you pursue her romantically, please respect her as you always have. She's a strong young woman in body and spirit, so I expect you to treat her with respect and dignity. You are the Kazekage, so I expect nothing less."

Surprising the young Kazekage, Gaara stood silent from his words. Unsure of where this was coming from, he did not know how exactly to respond. Was he receiving 'the talk'?

"She loves you. I can see it in her eyes, and…" Kyō's expression softened as their glances met through the dim candlelit, sensing his calm understanding in his ringed turquoise eyes. "I can see it in yours, too. You share her feelings."

Standing in stunned silence, Gaara's eyes held a tint of surprise from his reveal – surprised that her father knew everything.

Taking notice, Kyō gave him a stern fatherly glance. "Is that correct?"

"Uh," Gaara fumbled. "…Yes."

Acknowledging his answer, Kyō nodded. His eyes appeared stern and pleading at the same time. "Protect her. Keep her safe. She's my only child… she's all I have left. Surely, you must be able to understand a father's plea."

Looking down, Gaara's ringed-eyes closed halfway as he remembered the prejudice her clan still faced despite returning to their homeland in the mountains. Although Ishigakure was no longer a threat, there were still missing-nin and bandit hoards that resented the return of the Yamamori to the Land of Mountains. Although she would never outright admit it, she risked her life daily by being a kunoichi of Suna and Yama – her eyes were a dead giveaway of her Kekkei Genkai to her enemies.

"I trust in her judgement… so I would like to also trust in yours, Kazekage-sama. So… Gaara," Kyō began, locking eyes with the young Kazekage - his expression serious and protective in nature. "Can I trust you to protect and care for my daughter? Do you accept my conditions, as her father?"

Taking in his protective glance and his request, Gaara felt honored by the gesture. Nodding once, he looked up to face him with a soft smile upon his expression. "I won't let anything happen to Nomasaki, you have my word." Looking down for a moment, the thought of his realized feelings for her. Since coming clean to her in the snowy meadow, he felt so loved and content. "I've always admired her… and cared for her. She means… so much to me." Meeting his gaze, a protective and stern glance was visible in his ringed-eyes – signifying his commitment. "I rejected the arranged marriage because of her. That should make my intentions clear to you."

"Is that so?" Kyō sighed, warmly smiling as he closed his eyes. Turning away, he began towards his sleeping chambers at the end of the winding corridor shrouded by the dark of the snowy night. As he was about to enter the doorway to his room, he paused his hand upon the sliding door. "Well… I have one last thing to say to you, then…"

Preparing for a lecture, Gaara braced himself.

Turning back towards the young Kazekage, a genuine and grateful smile appeared on Kyō's aged expression, reflected in the darkness by the warmth of the candlelight. "…Welcome to the family."

Surprised, Gaara took in his parting words as he disappeared into the confines of the room with the faint noise of the sliding door being shut.

Family.

Alone, Gaara stood in the darkened hallway, taking in what transpired with the chieftain.

Her room in the mountains was a familiar sanctuary to Nomasaki.

Sheltered by strong tatami walls and adorned in hanging furs and scrolls, her bedroom within her father's manse was larger than that of her apartment in Suna. Even with the grace of age and the embers that burnt the structure years ago, the manse still had the familiar 'home' feeling to it. After washing her face in her private bath, she removed her kimono and the layers within it and pulled a wool nightgown over her head. Before making her way into the bed in the room's centre, a bundle of letters wrapped in red thread caught her eye. Studying them in her careful hands, she soon realized who they were from. Sitting on the warm tatami floor, she read them in order and held onto each and every word.

By the time she reached the final letter, tears formed in her eyes.

"I love you."

"I love you too..." She spoke to herself. "Even if you took forever to write back, but at least you did."

Putting the letters aside under her pillow, she dimmed the lights and crawled into her bed of sprawling furs and warm sheets.

And sleep soon came to her.

As she lay in her bed wrapped in the layers of her warm sheets and furs, she heard a quiet knock that rose her from her brief slumber. Rising slightly that late night, she wiped her tired eyes with her sleeve. Foggy in her senses, she could only hear the person enter her sleeping chambers, sliding the door behind them in careful silence. "Hm?" She yawned, her eyes and sense trying to focus in the darkness. As her vision cleared, she seen the faint silhouette of Gaara standing before her by the doorway – sensing his warm chakra close to her. "Oh, it's only you. Are you going to sleep?"

Holding slight guilt for waking her, his ringed-eyes closed halfway as he looked down at the tatami floorboards beneath him. Although they were closer to each other than they have ever been, he still felt as if his presence was at an inopportune time. As Kankurō snored loudly in their guest chambers, he thought his insomnia would grant him some time to speak privately with his newly affirmed love. Instead, it kept him awake and wandering the confines of the home while he desperately waited for sleep to once again find him.

"I'm still unable to from my insomnia. It's bad again, unfortunately." He began, his voice quiet. "Can I stay here… with you?"

Surprised by his request in her state of midnight awakening, she lightly smiled with a nod. "Make yourself at home."

Making his way closer to her bed, he stopped near the wall at her side, sitting down upon the wooden floor as the faint sound of the wind could be heard outside. "Were you asleep? I'm sorry."

"It's okay, I wasn't sleeping long." Laying on her back, she adjusted her blankets and made herself comfortable, feeling the warmth of his chakra easing her in the room. "...I read your letters."

"You did?"

She nodded, a gentle smile upon her lips. "They were... well worth the wait."

Relieved and warmed, he lowered his gaze to his lap. "What I wrote in them... it's still hard for me to properly... express myself, so please know that I'm trying." A soft smile marked his expression as he turned to see her. "I'm trying for you because... you're precious to me."

"I know." She smiled back. "You're precious to me, too."

As he looked back to his lap, his smile slowly faded. "Will you miss living here?"

"Of course." She sighed, looking up to the ceiling from her bed. "This place was my home for the last two years." She snickered. "I have to admit, I'll miss the life of being the 'chieftain's daughter', with my handmaids and time to live amongst the forest. It was nice to not be tied to the shinobi life for a while, but I think it's time I return to Suna. It's... also a part of me, in a way. Besides, I miss Meiyumi and Shinto... and you, too." After a shared moment in content silence, a distant memory spurred sorrow in her sleepy violet eyes. "I… used to live here in this house, as a child."

"With your mom?" He asked, looking towards her with a sympathetic tint to his eyes.

Turning to him briefly, she nodded, her lilac eyes painted in silent grief. "She was really something… She was fair, kind, and taught me how to be strong. She was incredibly strong, too, and didn't care that the few villagers who remained here feared us. But… she was always very sad. She had a melancholic look to her eyes. Even as a child, I could tell that something made her upset... but I couldn't figure out why." Her eyes narrowing at the ceiling above her in sorrow, she took in a soft breath. "My mother lived every day of her live ostracized by the villagers and spent her last days waiting for my father to return… but he never came back in time. She died of a fever, the same one that killed my grandparents. It's too bad she passed when I was young… Although we fought against another because of the Edō Tensei, I wished I could've shown her how far I've come, as a shinobi and as her daughter…" A light smile faded upon her lips as she remembered her strife as an orphan of Yama – discarded in the tiny village with no one to call her family. A faint chuckle breathed through her lips. "The village almost didn't give her a marked grave." Surprised by her words, he turned towards her with eyes stunned. "They were so afraid of her… of us. Our clan had a bad reputation for past conflicts and was blamed for so much strife that happened in Yama... so they were hesitant. In the end, they laid her to rest with the other villagers. They must have pitied me, since I was a lowly orphan then."

From hearing her words, he looked down, resonating with her sadness. Although she scarcely talked about her past life in the mountains before she began her life in Suna, the story of her mother always struck a chord with him. In addition to childhood loneliness, they both grew up without their mothers. Loss was something else they tragically shared together. "I'm sorry, Nomasaki..." Turning to her, he watched her gaze towards the ceiling with empathy marking his ringed-eyes. "If she were alive, I'm sure she would be proud of what you've become."

Her violet eyes glistened in the dark, her pride refusing to shed a tear. "Yes... Perhaps." As the silence returned, she glanced to him and hesitated her words. Turning her body over and laying on her belly, she placed her hand under her chin and studied his calm face from across the room. "Your mother's name was Karura, wasn't it? What... was she like?"

Her words surprised him. "My… mother?" He repeated. "You... want to know?"

Softly smiling, she nodded. "I'm sorry if I'm overstepping my bounds, but I've… always wanted to ask."

Gazing towards the dim moonlit-window covered in snow and ice, his expression became sorrowful. "Yes, her name was... Karura. She was… quite something, too. She was the older sister to my late uncle, Yashamaru and was of the Kurogane clan before she married my father. I… have no memory of her, but I was told she was very kind and that she loved my family very much." Sadly, his eyes closed halfway as he looked down at his lap. "She… died shortly after I was born. The sealing jutsu used to make me Shukaku's jinchuriki… it placed her body under great stress, and her life was the cost of the ritual. For a long time, I thought I was to blame for her passing, that I killed her… But now I know, it wasn't my fault." Looking at his open palm before him, his expression softened as he could see the faint glimmer of sand grains present. "Her love lives on in my sand… and protects me to this day. At least, that's what my father said... when we fought during the war, because of the Edō Tensei."

Guilt painting over her saddened eyes, she averted her glance. "I'm so sorry, Gaara." She spoke, regretfully. "I shouldn't have pressed so much…"

"Don't be." Meeting her eyes, a faint soft smile appeared upon his face. "Talking with you is always welcome. It's... therapeutic, almost."

Warmly, she smiled at him before she turned over on her side in the bed. "On the topic of parents," She began with a sigh. "What was it my dad was talking to you about? I could sense your chakra in the hallway earlier. Was he questioning your intentions?"

"Your dad asked me to protect you."

"He did?" She scoffed to herself, chuckling lightly. "Honestly! I'm a jonin, and he still worries about me. Damn him…"

"Nomasaki,"

Curious by the sound of her name, she glanced towards him from her bedside. Surprising her slightly, she could feel her chest lightly flutter as she met with the intent and deep gaze exerted towards her from his ringed-eyes.

"I promise I will protect you. You're precious to me"

Stunned by his words, she could feel her cheeks redden as she stared into his unwavering gaze. To her, his eyes conveyed his intentions. Looking down for a moment, she fondly remembered when he held her close her during the war – after he revealed the truth of their bond. His words still lingered in her mind. "Nomasaki, you're precious to me. That's why I'm protecting you, for our bond. I care about you." Her lips forming a warm smile, she fondly imagined his embrace – meeting his protective glance directed towards her. "Ever since the war… You still meant what you said, after all this time…"

He nodded. "Always."

With a warm smile, she sighed, turning her back towards him as she covered herself in her blankets. "I can't wait to go back home."

"I thought this was your home? You were born here, in Yama."

"Yama will always have a place in my heart, but… my home is in Sunagakure."

From her words, he softly smiled at her from across the room, comforted and at ease. "You should get your rest, then." He reminded, closing his eyes. "Since we'll be leaving early in the morning."

"Gaara, I have a... favour to ask."

"What is it?"

"For tonight, would you…" She started, sounding flustered. As she could feel her cheeks reddening, she huddled closer into the blankets to hide her expression from his curious glance. "Would you… sleep in the bed with me? Just for tonight?"

Surprised and humbled by her request, he sadly averted his glance. "I told you… I can't. I still struggle with my insomnia… so I can't sleep."

Closing her eyes and trying once more to sleep, she accepted his reasoning.

Still, her heart yearned for comfort.

In the darkened silence she could hear the rustling of his clothes as he stood from the tatami floor. Catching her attention, she felt his chakra approaching closer to where she lay as the faint sounds of footsteps drew near. Carefully, Gaara joined her by laying on top of the blankets beside her on the bed, just like their night at the inn only a few weeks ago. "I can only… hold you." He stated, his voice soft and protective. "Is that… alright?"

Her back facing him, she nodded as she lay within the blankets. "Yes." Warmed, she smiled into the furs. "Like I said last time, I trust you."

Gently and with great care, he swallowed every fear of closeness he had within him to follow through with his compromise. Gingerly, he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. Unlike the last time, he was conscious when he touched her. Even through her shield of blankets and animal furs, the shape of her body was warm and soothing. The hum of her breath, the sweet scent of her hair - her existence in the night gave him the comfort he sought for. If his desert gods were good, he could find sleep that night.

Protecting her with his gentle hold, she slept soundly in his arms.

And the snow continued to fall.