Chapter 33: Strength

Kankuro's workshop, much like Gaara's personal greenhouse, wasn't in the main living space for the Kazekage's family. Rather, it was off in a different corner of the second highest floor of the tower, tucked away from any living areas or offices due to the noise that often occurred from within. Today, that sound wasn't present, as no hammering, sawing, or grinding was occurring, that wasn't to say no work was being done. Kira had lost count of the hours she'd spent in the room, surrounded by the smell of wood, glue, and iron. Even as a kid, Kankuro had been building puppets, and, as she had little to no one else to hang out with, Kira had often found herself helping in some way or another. She wasn't anywhere near as talented as her friend, but she'd learned slowly how to at least do the simple things, the finishing touches, or repetitive parts while he continued onward.

It was this very room where during a lull in things she could help with that Kira had first picked up her hobby of macrame. She'd found some twine left behind and unused due to the color being too bright for his liking, and so she'd started messing around with it. She twisted it and weaved and made a mess of knots that her friend had laughed at before telling her she could probably figure it out if she kept trying. She didn't have a name for it or a clue that such an art existed till she asked her mother, who like any good parent had then helped her learn something new. Even with a hobby of her own, Kira had still helped Kankuro out when she could, the time becoming a place of peace away from the training and the stress of learning how to be a ninja. She'd enjoyed it, looked forward to it, and it seemed even after the lull that had occurred during her time under Korin, months after reconnecting, that hadn't changed. Mostly.

"Ouch!" Kira scowled, fanning her hand to cool her newly burnt finger, the pointer joining the ranks of the lightly singed digits. She was really getting tired of that, but even more so she was tired of the chuckle coming from farther down on the workbench. Sitting straight on her stool, she turned her scowl to the owner of the workshop, his hands paused in testing a wooden join and a shit-eating grin twitching at his lips. At her scowl, he tilted his head.

"What? I told you to wear gloves, didn't I?"

"No, you didn't. In fact, you told me gloves would hamper my progress."

"…oh," he gave her a look that was probably meant to be innocent, but Kira didn't buy it for a single moment, her expression turning more sour by the second. He realized that quickly and let the grin reappear, shrugging. "Okay fine, but I had no idea you'd keep burning yourself after the first try. What is it, your sixth one now? Aren't ninjas supposed to be steady-handed? I mean you're a taijutsu specialist after all."

He really was just digging himself deep and enjoying it wasn't he?

"You're a horrible friend, you know that?"

"And yet, you keep coming back."

Fuck.

She hated it when he used logic to back up his snark. Kira absently brushed hair behind her ear – it was down for once, despite knowing it would probably be easier to have it up at the moment – and sighed. Carefully setting the tiny torch down on its stand she reached down and clicked off the gas, staring at the finished edge of a newly soldered metal joint. It wasn't like she'd never done something like this before, maybe not in a while but still. Her hands just wouldn't listen to her today.

"What's up?" Kankuro questioned, drawing her attention back to him. He tilted his head, all signs of teasing gone, a look of concern passing across his unpainted face. She shook her head as if he didn't already know – he just wanted her to admit it out loud, but doing that made it real, which she wasn't quite ready for.

"I guess I'm a little distracted," she admitted with a frown. "I was hoping this would be a good way to keep my mind off of everything." It had helped, at least some, but Kira had always tended to focus on just about anything that made her uneasy. Kankuro's expression sifted at her words and he set his project down as well.

"You don't have to go, Kira, it's not like you're required to. Everyone would understand if you didn't."

"I just don't understand why we're even having the damn thing. Why the hell is he getting any kind of sendoff at all?" Frustration laced her tone, even as she knew the answer before he spoke it.

"It's not like the whole village is attending." Her friend pointed out, leaning back on the counter behind him. "But it's always important to have witnesses when we burn ninja bodies since we're not going to bury them. Kind of a tradition for the ones that brought down the traitor to be there, but as I said, they'd understand."

Kira huffed.

"I already have the elders' disapproval as it is, they don't need another reason. Gaara doesn't need that on his plate too." The last two weeks had been nearly as bad as the following weeks after the war. While the attack hadn't reached the village, the news of it had and thus caused a bit of panic among the masses – mostly the cranky old council. There'd been a lot of meetings about Korin and his plans, along with one that had been about uncovering the cover-up concerning his alleged death. A few people had lost their jobs – though the main culprits were all dead by now – and Gaara had made it fairly clear that if there were any other secrets of such a magnitude that they better tell him now.

No one had stepped forward, and Kira really hoped that meant that any ghost left behind would stay dead this time, and once that had been put to rest the grumbling had turned towards the relationship between their leader and his guard. Neither of them had denied it and no one had opposed it – some even seemed pleased with it – but Kira knew better than to think the topic was closed for good. Days continued on without pause and Kira's wounds from the battle healed well after the first two days with a little bed rest. After that, it had been back to work, and while she tried to keep her mind on what was in front of her, she'd still known what was going on elsewhere.

There was a lot to worry about in the last two weeks, today's upcoming event being one of them. As was protocol; after the battle Korin's body had been taken back to Suna and delivered to the coroner. Intact ninja bodies – especially those who had turned traitor or were enemies – were invaluable. It was why Kira had a seal on her like most ANBU that, if she knew she was going to die in enemy hands, would promptly blow her to pieces. It was an unpleasant thing to come to terms with, but a necessary precaution, one she would have thought Korin would have used but hadn't. She'd found out later once the autopsy had begun, that for whatever reason Korin's seal had been damaged. How that had happened was anyone's guess. Breaking down seals and examining every part of the body took time, as did planning a burning ceremony, so, fourteen days later, it was finally time to put old demons to bed.

"Kira?"

Twitching she blinked, bringing her attention back to the present as Kankuro's face went from concern to worry at some point during her daydreaming.

"Sorry, what?"

The puppet master looked like he was going to say something about her apparent mental pause, before he seemed to think better of it, his eyes flicking to the bench instead. "You have any ideas about what you're going to do with that? Or did you just bring them here to clutter up my shop?"

"I'm not sure it could get that much worse Kankuro." She smiled at his scowl before turning her gaze back to the space she was occupying. Beside the current puppet joint – a knee if she remembered right – there was a pile of angular white shapes on the table. Pieces of it were still distinguishable; a curved portion of a snout, the angular triangle of the top of an ear, even an entire eye socket had survived somehow. The remains of her ANBU mask might have been lost forever in the shifting sands if Gaara hadn't been able to fish them out. It hasn't brought her a lot of luck in the past, and it didn't break her heart to see if ruined. In truth, in the end, it had saved her life and despite the message Korin and Rasa had meant by giving her an old battle trophy rather than a proper Suna mask, a part of Kira couldn't throw it away. She'd never wear it again – she'd thrown that message right in their face when she'd used it to avoid an attack that should have killed her – but it had been a part of her long enough that she couldn'ts just let it go.

In a way, it breaking that day on the battlefield had freed her, cut her from the ties of the SS for good, and maybe finding a way to use it differently would remind her of that.

"I don't know, not really. I thought maybe you would?" she picked at a piece of the pottery frowning. "Some of the pieces have little chucks missing that we couldn't find, so trying to get it to look the same seems unreasonable."

"Maybe it's better that way," Kankuro said, agreeing with her thoughts from earlier. "If it were me, I'd just throw it out, but I guess I can see why you wouldn't want to."

"I don't want to forget about it – about everything that happened when I wore this mask. It's because of it that I'm who I am today." If she hadn't been given that mask, hadn't been assigned to watch Gaara, Kira wasn't sure they would have ever crossed paths the way they did. She wasn't sure she would have felt the need to speak up like she had during the debriefing if she hadn't spent so long looking after him in secret. If that hadn't happened, then they might have never become friends, might have never fallen in love at all. She was grateful.

"So, what do you want to do then?"

"I was hoping you'd have some ideas. You're the genius crafter after all."

"Kira, I make puppets."

"You made my leg," she argued, a hand reaching down to tap her knee where under fabric the plastic and metal of her prosthetic lay. "Sure, you're not a traditional artist like my mom was but-" She cut herself off suddenly, her own words spurring forth distant memories. Kankuro raised a brow at her.

"Did you short out from complimenting me?"

If Kira hadn't just spent the past two hours welding it together, she would have thrown the jointed metal at him. "You act like I don't ever praise you," she grumbled, scowling at him playfully. He shrugged his shoulders, that shit-eating smirk present once again. She rolled her eyes, carefully setting the mask piece back down. "I remembered my mom talking about a pottery style she'd read about once. Something practiced in a small village somewhere in the Land of Stone."

"Yeah? You remember what it was?" Interested caught in his voice at that and Kira remembered how long ago he'd ask her mother questions nonstop about her work. They'd never really talked about it– what her death had probably meant to him. Kankuro's mother had died when he was so young that Kira wondered if losing Meela had felt like losing a parent too. Someday, she'd have to talk to him about it. Someday, but not today.

"I couldn't tell you the name, it was so long ago, but it was something to do will resign, I think. Maybe the library has a book on it?" It was likely her mom had owned a book on it - she'd often collected things like that for inspiration - but almost everything she'd owned had been lost in the fire since she'd avoided packing things up. A stupid mistake Kira would regret forever.

"Local potter might know," her friend offered, and Kira nodded, not having thought of that.

"I'll talk to him tomorrow then, today will be busy as it is, with the fire and our visitors. They should be here soon, right?" Along with the mess that was Korin's last rights, there'd also been the small problem of Orochimaru being in the village. Due to a particularly bad slew of sandstorms, the Leaf ninja meant to escort the Sanini back to his 24-hour surveillance home had been delayed enough that it had been decided that when the Leaf envoy came, Shikamaru was just bringing more people with him for the trip back. Kankuro scratched his head, glancing at the clock on the far wall.

"Yeah, Temari wouldn't stop talking about it so I know the exact time they'll get here. They'll probably show up sometime during or after the fire ceremony." Looking back to her, he stood up from his stool and stretched. "You're looking forward to seeing them too, right?"

"Of course, I am," she pulled her brows together, why wouldn't she be happy to see them? Shikamaru was family, and Team Guy had been among her first friends in the Leaf. Plus, from what she understood, Naruto was coming, which would probably make Gaara happy. Kira wasn't sure how she felt about the blond honestly, but she'd put up with him for Gaara's sake.

"Just making sure, you know they'll be teasing you," he mused, and Kira rolled her eyes, standing as well.

"I think after you and Aya, I can handle them." Glancing at the clock as well, she bit back another sign. "If we want to make it on time we should get moving. Still have to get changed."

"Yeah, you're probably right."

Biting her lip, Kira watched him as he turned off any still powered on tools and lights in the back, remembering once again how much of a comfort this place was to her. Yet, it really wasn't just the place.

"Hey, Kankuro?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

He paused in shutting off a light over the workbench, looking over his shoulder at him.

"For what?"

She shrugged her shoulders, looking away for a moment, unable to meet his eyes, not due to an old habit, but just because it was hard to get the words out. After a moment she flicked them back. "For everything. For just always being there when I needed to talk." He always knew when she needed to, even when she herself didn't, and maybe, Kira didn't give him enough credit sometimes. Despite what she'd said earlier, he really was a good friend.

The puppet master was quiet for more than a minute after that before suddenly he sighed, his hand falling back to his side, leaving the light on and turning to look at her. She's expected some kind of smart ass remark, but the sudden seriousness caught her off guard.

"You know that's not true; I haven't always been there for you." He shifted his weight as if trying to find a comfortable way to stand. "You've never really brought it up, even when we've talked about the reason why we didn't talk to each other for nearly four years, we've never actually talked about it. I guess I didn't want to talk about it, even though I knew we should and then everything with the war started happening and you acted as if nothing had ever happened. You acted like we hadn't lost all that time and it was so easy to just let it go – but we shouldn't."

Kira's eyebrows pulled together, surprised by the turn of events, and instinctively took a step toward her friend. "Kankuro…"

"I'm sorry." He said it so suddenly, so fervently that she jumped slightly, watching as he looked to the side, his frown deepening. "It was like one day everything was fine; I gave you your birthday gift a day late and you just smiled and thanked me and then the next day you were just gone." He rubbed his face with one hand, frustrated and Kira found herself unable to speak, unable to move as words tumbled out in a stream of consciousness. "I tried looking for you but your mother just said you were training and then my father told me to 'find new friends.' It was like you'd never existed, and I just gave up so easily on you. Even after I heard about your entry into the ANBU, even when I'd see you around town over a year later I just…I didn't try and I should have. It was just like with Gaara, I knew things were wrong, and yet I did nothing."

He was going around in circles now, taking all of the blame when it wasn't just his fault. Kira shook her head.

"You're not the only one that didn't try, you know. I could have said something, sent a note – anything, but even after your father died I just... I couldn't do it." She'd been scared, worried beyond hope that she'd changed too much for him to ever see her the same way. Scared that he would never forgive her and wouldn't even give her the chance to explain.

"Your home and your family had been threatened, Kira. You had good reason to not disobey orders. I just didn't want to be scolded by my father."

"You know it would have been more than a scolding."

"Maybe…"

"I don't hold a grudge against you, you know," She murmured quietly, rubbed an arm before leaving her hand clasped there. "I was just glad that we were able to go back to being friends as if things hadn't happened. I missed you… all the time. Are you angry with me?"

Shock brought his gaze up again and he quickly shook his head. "No, of course not." His answer, though Kira had already known it, hearing him say it made her smile. He'd just needed to hear himself say too.

"So, let's just put this to rest okay? You're my best friend Kankuro, I hope you realize that. So let me thank you damn it." Her words brought a twitching to his lips and after a few moments of him digesting them, a full smile made its appearance once more and he turned back around. Flicking off the light he walked over to her rubbing the back of his head, his posture relaxed as if a weight he'd been carrying far too long had finally been taken away. Kira wished he'd told her sooner.

"Man, between you and Gaara I should start charging ya," he joked, laying a hand on her shoulder, and smiled. "Always saying the weirdest things. You don't need to thank me." His grumbled echoed those same words from a different mouth. A day so different from today, where his younger brother had sat with her while she cried. The similarities between both siblings made her look back at a terrible memory with a soft smile. She placed a hand over his.

"I guess I don't."

…

A burning rite was nearly the opposite of a funeral burning ceremony. It wasn't in honor of the ones who had died, nor were there any speeches other than the rather staple prayer given to everyone who died. The dead didn't get a tombstone, nor a spreading of their ashes by a loved one, so, in the end, the only thing that was the same was the fire. Whether they had been an enemy, a warrior, or a loved one, the flames cared little and burned just as bright, casting the same dark plums of smoke and the same unforgettable stench of burning bodies.

There were five in total stacked upon the pyre of flames – Korin Elsey and four of his followers who had refused to surrender. Among them had been the last two red siblings, which Orochimaru had killed, leaving one to wonder what their story had truly been. It was hard to tell who was who at the distance he stood from the heat, but Gaara knew Korin had been placed on top. There were a dozen people in attendance, and while it was custom to wear black at a funeral, no one cared to for a rite and most wore what they would on a mission. No one was crying, no one was mourning, there were only apathetic faces while they watched the flames as they ate in a mindless frenzy.

Except, that is, for Kira.

Gaara watched her, as he did everyone attending the rite, but he was lingered on her now as she swept a stray hair back behind her ear, a forlorn expression pulling down the corners of her mouth. Perhaps it wasn't meant to be seen at all, but with no mask to wear and conceal such a look, it was hard to miss. Instead of a mask, Kira looked more like she had during the war, her face painted up much like his brother's in a blue only a shade or two darker than the sky blue of her armored top. Gaara's eyes traced the sharp arrow-like lines that nested inside each other and fanned out on her cheeks and forehead, all pointing inward towards her eyes. A single line touched her bottom lip and traveled down, past her jaw and under it, disappearing into the fabric of her shirt. It was reminiscent of what he'd first put on her face nearly a year ago, yet different enough to know it was her own.

She stood closer to the fire than most – the stench and the heat drove most further back – seeming to stare into the flames with a steadfast will as if she were still facing off against the man now burning within. Gaara glanced back at his siblings who stood side by side off to his left, arms crossed and faces blank, even as his brother looked to Kira as well. Behind them, Kira's ANBU team lingered, eyes upon the towering smoke above as Aya's mouth moved, signaling a conversation too far off to hear. Eyes flicking back to the shadow user, he finally took the final step toward standing next to her once more, ignoring the way the heat blasted against his cheekbones. She didn't look at him, didn't give him any sign that she knew he was there, other than the frown on her face relaxing a fraction.

His presence had always seemed to bring her some kind of comfort, even towards the beginning, once she'd trusted him enough. Today felt much like the day he'd sat with her in that hallway after her mother had died and again when she'd woken up from nightmares, unable to sleep again. It was much the same for him, if Gaara was honest. Even when no one else had been able to tell, Kira had known when it had been a bad day. She never said much, not unless he started talking first, but just knowing she was there had made a difference. He hoped it was helping her today.

"This doesn't seem right," she spoke suddenly, her words clipped but holding no real malice. "It seems too easy. Like he got away with everything and didn't pay for it at all."

"His death wasn't enough?"

Her lips pressed into a thin line, nose wrinkling slightly as the wind changed directions.

"Dying is easy," she whispered, finally looking away from the flames to glance down at her crossed arm and the hands resting there. "Living and paying for your crimes is harder."

Gaara wondered if she still saw the blood on her hands from killing her old teacher like she had so many. The nightmares were still there, he knew that much from the late-night tea ventures and the dark circles under her eyes that would appear. It wasn't an easy thing to watch, but besides being there – letting her know she was loved – there was little he could do. He thought over her words carefully, understanding why she would think that because in a way he'd thought the same of his father when he'd first learned of the man's death. Seeing him again in the war had eased that thought, flipping it on its side till he realized differently after seeing what had taken place, after speaking with Rasa on even ground.

"Living gives one time to repent," he countered, turning his head to look at her, the flames warming his ear. "Dying lets the world remember him for who he truly was in the end. Perhaps it would have been better if he had lived, but I do not think it would have been better for you." His words have her finally shifting her gaze to his own, a small dent forming between her brows as she listened. "After the battle, you said it was finally over and you were right. So, let it be over Kira, let the flames burn away his mark on you till nothing is left."

She held his gaze for a long time, processing his words and all Gaara could think about was how far she'd come, how much she conquered her fears, and her insecurities. She no longer looked away to cope with past engraved habits, but rather when she finally did so it was to shake her head. Her frown folded, turning up instead as she closed her eyes.

"Sometimes it's all too easy to forget you're younger than me." Opening her eyes to give him an amused sideways glance, Gaara felt his heart jump slightly in his chest. He kept thinking that would go away eventually, but it hadn't, and he wasn't sure he wanted it to. "You always know exactly what to say, don't you?"

No, he certainly did not. Gaara was quite sure he spent a great deal of time trying to find something so say that wouldn't end up with him feeling like a fool. Especially when it came to Kira. He spent what felt like hours talking to his siblings to try and grasp concepts he'd never considered. He'd never felt more embarrassed than the talk he'd had with Kankuro, something he almost regretted. Almost.

She didn't need to know that though.

"You learn fast when everyone looks to you."

"True."

Her gaze flickered back to the pyer, and Gaara saw for himself that the bodies were no longer recognizable, just a dark core within, blending seamlessly among the ashes of wood. From the corner of his eye, he saw movement but thought nothing of it till warm fingers grasped his hand. He twitched, looking back at her, but Kira was still looking forward, a soft smile on her face now instead. He could have made a big deal about it – because it felt like a big deal even if it certainly wasn't the first time – but the simple gesture was just that: a quiet way of showing affection to each other and the world around them. A silent declaration.

Looking forward again, he laced his fingers through hers.

Around the time they left the still smoking pyer, a ninja who was on guard by the village entrance had arrived to inform him that the Leaf ninja had arrived. Relieved to leave the somber events behind him. Kira seemed to brighten instantly, which in turn lifted his own spirits. She tugged at his arm, refusing the let go of his hand until he started moving. He instantly missed the warmth of her hand despite feeling a bit overheated still from the fire but holding hands while walking was a bit awkward with height difference as they'd found out. He realized as they walked, that his siblings and Kira's team were already gone, the former probably with the group in question.

Rounding the bend towards the start of town, Gaara stopped the group of ninja clustered near the front of the Kazekage tower. He was right in the fact that his siblings were there. Temari was rapidly talking to Shikamaru who looked like he needed a nap, while Kankuro spoke to, surprisingly enough, Naruto. Lee and Tenten were simply listening and waiting, so it was no surprise when the weapon master spotted them first, her grin becoming clear as they got closer to the group. She waved an arm, standing on her toes as if she thought Kira and he couldn't see her.

"Kira!" And like always, Gaara was the third wheel in the girl's friendship. It didn't bother him. Okay, maybe it bothered him a tiny bit, but that was overpowered by the fact that he was just happy that Kira had a close friend besides his brother and Aya. Kira glanced at him for a moment, smiling before she picked up her pace and trotted forward to close the distance a few seconds faster. He watched her go, keeping to his steady pace, and watched the two girls embrace in a way that told him Tenten had been worried far more than he'd thought she would about the events that had occurred.

Around them, the others had noticed them both, all of them turning slightly to greet him as he finally arrived. Kira pulled back in time to catch as Naruto greeted them both, his ever-present grin plastered across his face.

"Glad you guys are both okay! You'll have to tell us what exactly happened."

Gaara raised a brow at him.

"It's not exactly a quick explanation." He knew from experience that long stories often were too much for the blond. This time though, he seemed determined.

"We aren't leaving till tomorrow, I got time." He shrugged his shoulders and sidled over to him closer, leaning in and using a hand to cover his mouth. "I gotta know… what exactly happened between you two? 'Cause Sakura really wanted to come and ask herself." Blinking a few times, Gaara looked wearily back over to Kira and found her speaking with her cousin, Temari, and the two Team Gai members, leaving her completely unaware of what was going on.

The same could not be said for his brother.

Kankuro grinned at them both and Gaara had to resist the urge not to knock him over with his sand as he had done before. Kira took the teasing rather well, but he didn't enjoy it much at all, despite his outwardly stoicism.

"Good luck with that," Kankuro told Naruto. "He won't even tell me exactly how things happened, though maybe it's because it's me. Family and all. I can tell you about the aftermath of the battle-"

"Kankuro," Gaara cut in, his brother's voice a bit too loud for his liking. Just because Kira wasn't paying attention now didn't mean she wouldn't be if he kept talking and while it was one thing for people to tease her, Kira took it differently when it was directed at him. "Unless you want another welt, I would tread carefully." Metal tonfas weren't something to trifle with. That snapped the older boy's mouth shut instantly. This, of course, sent Naruto laughing.

"I miss you guys," he told them easily, looking back to Gaara once he'd caught his breath. "We can talk later over ramen tonight if ya want?" They hardly ever got the chance to talk like normal humans, so the offer was nice. Gaara gave a nod almost instantly. Something he also regretted when he grinned and turned his attention elsewhere. "Your girlfriend can come too." That got Kira's attention and she tensed before looking over at them with a raised eyebrow, but like she often did, she took it in stride and smiled.

"I'd hate to intrude on guy time, so I'll have to refuse. I have family matters to attend to." That was new, and apparently it was news to Shikamaru too as he shot his cousin a confused glance before apparently catching on and nodding just as quickly.

Kira after all wasn't one of Naruto's biggest fans. It didn't really surprise Gaara; the differences in personality between them were rather great and while she didn't dislike his friend, she seemed to only like small doses of him at a time if the retellings of her time in the Leaf were anything to go by. Shikamaru seemed to realize that too, so directed the conversation elsewhere before Naruto had a chance to catch on.

"Anyway, I hope your guest isn't too much of a pain. Sorry again for dumping him on you for the last week." He scratched at the back of his head, glancing at Temari who just shrugged her shoulders before Kira answered him.

"Orochimaru is under 24/7 servalance by at least two ANBU at all times," she told him, turning her full attention back to him. "Though since he wasn't a prisoner, we couldn't really put him in jail. So we have him in a guest room in the tower. My team leader, Shura, is taking care of it, so you don't need to worry." She grimaced slightly at the end. "I won't say that he's not creepy as hell, but he hasn't even tried to do anything, so chances are high that he won't."

True enough. Gaara agreed with her on that matter. The man was very… odd. He certainly wasn't a fan of the snake ninja, not after everything he'd done, but the help he'd given them had been undeniable. He'd turned a group of ninja away with just words, and Gaara still wasn't sure if it had been out of loyalty for Orochimaru, or because they'd all been scared to death of him. Either way, as Kira had said, the man was being rather cooperative.

"He better," The Nara boy grumbled. "If he doesn't his end of the deal will go up in smoke, and he knows it." Having been there during that interesting conversation, Gaara was rather sure that wasn't an idle threat. The man had snuck out of his permitted area and trespassed into the Leaf Village. Too help them, he'd said, but Gaara was rather sure from his part of the bargain, it wasn't really to help his former home much at all.

"What was his end of the deal?" Kira asked, curiosity getting the better of her. Shikamaru tilted his head to the side, eyes flicking up at the sky before back to his family member.

"Not really sure. He wanted a favor for later. Nothing excessively big of course, and the Hokage can veto it anytime if they think it's too weird, but we did agree to one favor of his choice. There's no time limit so who knows when he'll be cashing in on that."

Gaara watched her nod and then turned his attention back to the others. Rock Lee joined them and then soon enough Shikamaru – leaving the girls to talk – and topics turned to more serious but mundane topics. As the Envoy for the Leaf, the Nara boy always had reports to give and letters to deliver, and while that was normally done inside Gaara's office, it was explained that there was nothing of urgency. Gaara accepted that, not really in the mood for paperwork anyway, and instead started briefly going over the events of the attack. As they spoke, he watched Kira step a bit closer to Tenten in their little circle and stay something he couldn't make out. The girl just smiled and nodded her head, but the young ruler caught the raised brows of the Nara boy and what looked like a covered laugh from his sister. With the way Lee suddenly freaked out, it was safe to say something had happened.

Maybe Kira was teasing them. Some sort of deserved payback.

"Hey guys," Temari suddenly spoke up, drawing their attention. "Why don't we get some food? It's about lunchtime." That of course sparked Naruto's glee as he grinned, dropping the heavier subject from before.

"Yeah! You guys have a rather good place that has ramen, let's go!" Everyone agreed and Gaara nodded his head, even though he really wasn't that hungry. Kira would give him that look if he didn't eat. Everyone started off towards the village ahead, his brother passing him and then Kira behind as he stayed where she was, watching them go. She glanced behind her and met his gaze, smiling. Curiously, he moved forward to stand beside her, raised a pale brown.

"Is something the matter?" he asked, his attention completely on her. She shook her head.

"Not really, I just wanted a moment alone with you," she confessed, shifting slightly closer, her hand brushing the back of his wrist and dragging it down over the back of his hand. Reflexively he grabbed it, lacing his fingers through hers again. He supposed all the attention was overwhelming for her. Kira wasn't much for crowds, but neither was he really.

"Alright," he lifted his head slightly to look at her. "Did you want to talk about something or…" his thoughts flashed to the end of the battle with Korin, and the way her lips on his had felt. The way his hand had sunk into her hair. They hadn't shared something that intense since, though she'd taken to kissing his scar. While he'd wanted to, the timing never worked out. Being a leader made being a boyfriend hard since she wasn't big on public displays. A sudden sound, like a small scuffle or footfall nearby caught his ear, but the sudden movement from Kira made it flick from his mind instantly. She suddenly tilts her head down and pressed her forehead against the side of his head, her breath fanning across his ear. Startled, his eyes met the single one he could see clearly. She was smiling at him, that soft, gentle smile she seemed to save just for him.

"You know I love you right?" she whispered, startling him again. Why was she suddenly asking him that? Hadn't he shown that he did? Well, maybe not enough… He wasn't completely sure. Still, it wasn't hard to remind her, not at all. He pulled back slightly and turned to see her better and smiled back at her. Smiling was easy – at least when it was for her. Reaching up with his free hand he traced two knuckles across the side of her face and down to her neck, trying to ignore the slight tremor of nervous energy that suddenly sparked in his mind. Maybe it wasn't that easy. Still, at least he didn't have to think about his words.

"More than I will ever understand." At his words, she tilted her head slightly, her eyes flicking forward for just a moment before back to him.

Then he heard a click and a quick flicker of light flashed in front of his eyes. He twitched, but Kira just squeezed his hand.

"Got it!" Tenten's voice was clear and light with triumph – and much closer than it should have been. Dropping his arm, he turned and found Tenten standing not fifteen feet away from them with a small, compact object in her hand that caught the light on the round glass centerpiece. A camera? She was grinning as if holding a great prize and waving it slightly at them. "Thanks for thinking fast Kira, I almost blew it, damn sand." She laughed a bit.

Wait.

That sound from before and then Kira…

"Hey covert missions never go exactly as planned, I got your back." Kira's light, teasing tone had Gaara once again returning his attention to her. She was still smiling at him, but it wasn't the same smile as before. As he stared at her, confusion quickly caught up with his mind and then clicked into nothingness.

This had been planned.

"I'll be sure to send you the photo when it gets developed, Kira," Tenten told her, a giggle at the end of it. "I'm going to go catch up with the others now, see you in a few." The sound of her footsteps reliably trailed off as she did just that, not sticking around for long at all. He was still staring at his girlfriend a bit bewildered. Why had she..? Her face softened after a few seconds and she lost the wicked turn of her smile.

"Sorry… I just wanted to get a picture with you, and I knew it would make you nervous if I asked." She explained, biting her lip. "I didn't want you to tense up because you'd know it was important."

As much as he wanted to protest that, Gaara couldn't. She knew him too well, he thought once more. It would have made him nervous because he knew how much photos meant to her from the three she had proudly displayed in her room. He probably wouldn't have been able to relax if he'd known it was coming. She'd wanted one where it looked natural.

She'd wanted a picture of them together, and only them. It was all he could think about in that moment. He remembers the day Kira had been unpacking her things into her new room in the tower, watching as Kankuro had handed her a picture of them. She'd set it down with care next to the other two and Gaara had wondered – hoped – that one day maybe she'd have a photo of then together. At the time, he'd been thinking of just a friendly, carefree moment between them like his brother's. The idea of falling in love hadn't crossed his mind at all. Now that it had happened and was out in the open… Gaara had forgotten amongst the chaos of life.

She hadn't forgotten. In fact, it appeared she'd been planning it for quite some time. He thought back on the way Kira had spoken to Tenten moments before the question of lunch had come up from his sister. His sister who had been trying to cover up a smile. Lee's sudden freak out over what he'd assumed was teasing… had that been a way to throw Gaara off because he'd been watching them?

"I… Are you mad?" Kira's quiet question brought him back from his thoughts and he realized he'd been staring at her rather blankly for probably well over a minute. Her smile was gone, worry morphing her face as her hand fell limp in his own. It seemed for once, she didn't know what he was thinking, couldn't rely on her years of experience. She thought he was mad at her? He quickly shook his head, wanting to kill that misconception immediately.

"No, not at all." He assured her, his hand grasping hers tighter, and felt her fingers twitch. "Quite the opposite really." Once again, he forgot about where they were, pushing it back behind his mind, and drew his hand up to press it against her face, his thumb brushing against the silky strands of her hairline. She jolted slightly, surprised, and he smiled, please he could get maybe just a bit of payback. "I'm not sure I've ever been this happy before."

And then he kissed her a second time.

The somewhat satisfying squeak he got in return was followed by contentment as she relaxed, her eyes flicking shut and her free hand instantly at the back of his neck. Her other hand, the one he'd been holding, found strength again, a strength that he had always seen in her, from the moment they'd met. Those memories, their story, Kira had locked it all up into a single moment, displaying them for everyone to see in a colorful, bright picture that would no doubt be displayed just as proudly as the others.

Gaara was determined to make sure it wasn't the last.

This was one of the hardest chapters I have ever written and I'm pretty sure I have my Beta reader cavities with that ending. Sorry, it took so long to get out! I had to clean up a lot of loose ends in this chapter and any that are left will be tied in the epilogue. Please let me know what you guys thought! Till later!

DROH