He didn't know what he was doing until it was too late.

And by too late, meaning, he had already stepped into the play pen and had alerted her as her head swung to his direction. She kept her eyes closed, but he knew from how tense she was, she knew he was here or that someone was here.

Miyuki's first instinct was to tie her blindfold back on and as she gently lifted it up she was stopped by a gruff, yet already familiar voice.

"Keep it off," Gaara did not know why he was suddenly telling her this but something kept bothering him about her. Was it genuine interest or he felt somewhat threatened, he did not know. He didn't know if he could distinguish the two. Miyuki paused for a brief moment, as if contemplating if she should listen or not and decided she should as she placed the blindfold back on her lap.

"Why use it?" He asked her now but made no move to step any closer, his sands swirling near her feet. He couldn't get them near her, not at all. Miyuki remained silent before she let out deep sigh.

"Because I might mistakenly scare someone," she answers, almost too quietly it made Gaara take a step closer. "And because," she continues, her head moving slowly towards his direction. "I might accidentally hurt someone."

Gaara remained where he stood. He still could not shake off the feeling that he was stepping into dangerous territory but there was just something almost compelling about her. He took another step, this time she followed his feet with her eyes closed.

"You can still see," he observed and she bit the insides of her cheek to keep her from smiling. If Eiichi found out she had revealed her secret, he would punish her for it. But if she could convince him it was all part of her plan, maybe he would not. She gives Gaara a brief nod.

"How?...what-" he stops, does not know how to go on before she slides over, making space for him on the bench. He hesitates, glancing around him before removing his hat and take a seat beside her.

She was so aware of him now, almost tempted to open her eyes and see him sitting beside her but she kept them close, almost afraid that maybe he would react differently this time. Why did it matter to her so much?

"I was cursed as a child," she starts, not knowing why she was opening up to a complete stranger. Perhaps it was because she would no sooner end his life, taking the secrets she had shared with him. It didn't give her much comfort than she hoped but she continued. "My mother, I do not remember her face, was very beautiful according to everyone in the village I was born in, up north where snow falls all year long. Wives would be very wary of her, but she loved my father dearly so I didn't know what everyone was so worked up about."

"Then there was this one lady, who had a husband that admitted he had fallen in love with my mother and could no longer deny it," she continues, smiling like it was the most normal thing in the world. Gaara noticed the curve of a dimple on her right cheek. She had a nice smile. "Well, that lady got so mad she confronted my mother about it and my mother said she didn't know what to do about it. The lady asked her to leave the village, and mom agreed just to give the lady some peace. We left, along with dad but the trek down from our village was a long one so we had to stop from time to time. I was 4. It was snowing really hard, almost freezing me to death but my mother kept me warm enough until…it happened, and I never really felt warm again," she paused, rubbing her hands together.

"Some men had followed us," she continued now, her head lowered. "They had killed my dad, a knife in the back. We were not fighters, especially my mom. She bundled me up in very thick cloth and hid me, asked me to keep silent. I did, it was all a blur to me…her cries, the men. They didn't find me though and out of fear, I had not made a sound until I was too cold to move and thought I'd die. Some of the village folk found me a day or two later, it was a miracle I survived they said. The cold seeped through me, but I was free of snow, they said."

"The lady that made my mom leave took me in, but the guilt inside her could not be tamed as I looked exactly like my mother," she sighed. "Her husband loved me too much, she said and she hated it. One night, a man entered the house and I heard them whispering about me. The next day, my eyes were…like this and no one would ever look at me. They said it was a curse, but I knew better. But if it was not for this, I would not have discovered my gift." She smiled her dimpled smile and sat in silence for a while before, "I must be boring you or creeping you out for sharing such a personal story."

Gaara realized only after a moment that she was waiting for him to speak. He didn't know what to say so he did what he normally does and shook his head and realizing how stupid that was.

"How did you end up with Eiichi?" he asked then, and she smiled wider, like she was happy he was speaking. It somehow made him blush, looking away from her even though she could not see him. Right?

"I ran away," she said. "Eiichi found me when I rolled down the last parts of the mountain. Called me by a new name, Miyuki, and then brought me to his camp where I met some of the girls that are no longer with us right now. I am the oldest."

"And how old are you?" he asked and she let out a soft laugh, making Gaara shift in his seat. He always felt slightly uncomfortable when someone laughed. He didn't think he said anything funny.

"You know, you should never ask a woman her age," she says, her tone serious as Gaara remembered how Temari would get when someone told her she looked older than she really was.

"Sorry," he quickly added and it made her laugh even more. It was a sweet sound that Gaara felt the need to ask her how she could laugh like that. Most girl's in the village had a laugh that irritated him.

"I am just joking," she says when her laughter dies down. Yet she still does not tell him how old she is. From his peripheral he could see her head turn to him, her eyes still closed.

"You don't find them terrifying?" she asked then as he turned to her. He knew she was waiting to ask this question for a long while now, by the way the air grew nervous around her.

"No," he answered as he held her breath. She waited a moment before the lids of her eyes slowly pry open. She squinted before finally opening them wide to reveal two eyes of pure black. No pupils, no irises. Gaara made no reaction, except breathing out. She tilted her head, as if waiting for any sign at all before finally accepting he was not going to.

"I am sorry we kept it secret," she says now. " I just…don't like how people look at me…"

"I...understand," he answers after a while. He understood completely. What he could not understand was the girl beside him. How could she trust him that much? She held no reservations from him. She treated him...normally. Not like how people had when they viewed him as a monster...and not when they viewed him as their Kazekage. He found a strange comfort in that. Her casualness.

"It must be hard looking after a town so big and one being so young," she says, her eyes drifting outside the open arcs where they could make out a few of the village lights.

"Not really," he answers earning him another of her dimpled smile.

"A man of few words, huh?" she asked but before he could answer she had her eyes closed, her head facing away.

"Someone is here," she whispered quietly before Gaara had even sensed him. A shinobi of their village approached them. He looked hesitant as his eyes travelled from Gaara to Miyuki who kept her head down.

"Kazekage," the shinobi bows, glancing at Miyuki again. "One of the girls...from Eiichi's group was caught walking around the forbidden halls."

Miyuki tensed, as if sensing her worry, Gaara quickly stood up, giving the shinobi a nod. When they were both left alone, he turned to her.

"I cannot carry you with my sand," he says quietly. No accusation in his tone but Miyuki flinched. He knew.

"I-"

"Miyuki!," Kei cuts him off as she and Kankuro appear. Both of them wore matching surprised expressions to find Gaara there. He places his hat and with one last glance at Miyuki, he quickly leaves. Kankuro stared, speechless while Kei hid her concern watching Miyuki tie her blindfold on.

"It's Akira," she says as she helps Miyuki off the bench. "They found her in one of the forbidden halls, she must have wandered there-"

"We have to hurry," Kankuro says. "Gaara is not as harsh as he used to be but I doubt he'd be lenient with this one."

Miyuki staggers forward, gripping on to Kei before Kankuro offered to carry her. She agreed, hiding her reluctance as the three of them rush towards where a crowd had gathered.

Akira was at the center, a girl holding her down as Gaara approached them. Kankuro quickly placed Miyuki down beside Kei as he approached his brother. Akira was 7, crying and screaming for Miyuki who ran to her, screw if everyone saw. She reached for Akira's hands who clasped it tight.

"I didn't mean to," she sobbed. "Miyuki, I didn't mean to. I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"Shhh," she soothes glancing up at the girl who held Akira. From the chakra, she could tell it was the same girl that had attempted to hit her with a kunai. The same kunai that missed and almost hit the Kazekage. She wanted to break her bones. She held still as she felt Kei's hands on her back.

"Miyuki if Eiichi-" she starts to whisper but stops and Miyuki knows Eiichi has arrived.

"I found her trespassing into the building where we keep all our important files," Matsuri tells Gaara who kept his gaze away from her. It pissed her off, but not as much as when she found Gaara at the playpen with Miyuki moments ago.

"That is a crime," Gaara spoke. His voice was not soft, but it did not instill fear either. "I would have to punish you."

"She is just a child," Kei had argued, it was a futile attempt.

"Punish her," Eiichi was the one who spoke now. Akira muffled her cries as her nails almost dug through Miyuki's skin. "I do not tolerate such behavior as well. If you leave her to me, I can punish her myself."

Gaara did not miss the way Kei's eyes grew wide, or the way Miyuki grew tense so he said, "Leave her to me. This is my village, my rules."

Miyuki let out a breath as the gathering crowd dispersed. Matsuri did not let Akira go. Miyuki fought the urge to lash out. Instead, she pulled away only to be pulled back.

"Please don't leave me Miyuki," Akira was begging and Miyuki held her tighter, waiting for Matsuri to let go.

"What are you planning to do?" Kei asked.

"A night in the cells probably," Kankuro answered.

"That is hardly a punishment," Matsuri argued as she hauled Akira to her feet, dragging Miyuki with her.

"Come on Matsuri, she's a kid," Kankuro countered as Miyuki felt Akira being dragged away.

"Let go of her, Kid," Matsuri pulled as Akira held tightly to Miyuki's tunic, pulling Miyuki along with her.

"Miyuki," Kei had a warning in her tone but Miyuki was having none of it. She could not leave Akira alone, who knows what Eiichi could still do and leaving Kei alone was not an option either. Akira pulled as Miyuki held her ground, the cloth straining to keep hold.

"If you do not let me go with her I am going to lose my shirt," Miyuki stated, monotonously. She was directing it to everyone around her. "Akira has a strong grip." The cloth ripped a few millimeters.

"I have nothing underneath," she stated last as Akira started to pull again. Matsuri held a hand.

"Stop it," she scolded as Akira let out another cry.

"Miyukiiiiiii!"

"Fine," Gaara said now. "Go with her if you want but take your friend with you. I cannot have a blind girl walking around in a cell."

Miyuki felt him move away, saw his chakra disappear yet some still lingered. Kankuro stood silent before telling Matsuri he'd lead us to the cells.

"Sorry about this," Kankuro was saying now as he locked them up.

"It's alright," Kei had assured him. He did not realize how much she meant it. The three of them hudled close together in the cell as Akira slowly pulled the blindfold off Miyuki.

"I like it better when you don't wear it," Akira says quietly.

"I like it better too," she replies, pulling the little girl closer to her.

"So what were you and the Kazekage talking about?" Kei asked after a moment, making Akira's eyes go wide.

"You talked to the Kazekage?" she asked, surprised and amazed. Miyuki gave a quick nod, a small smile on her lips.

"I did most of the talking," Miyuki started. "I talked about a lot of things, including my old home."

Miyuki recounted the moment with Gaara, skipping the part where he knew she could see and that sand avoided her, until Akira fell asleep.

"You should be careful," Kei had said after. Miyuki may have skipped some parts but Kei was smart enough to know. "If Eiichi found out-"

"He'd do what?" Miyuki asked now. "Nothing I am not used to. Kei, it's alright. We were just talking. Like you and Kankuro- at least, you can have a better outcome."

"What? I'd never leave you!"

"But I would let you, I would force you even, if it meant you could be happy," Miyuki was looking at her, although she could not shed any tears, Kei felt her sadness.

"You- all of you do not belong to him," She states quietly.

"Neither do you," Kei answered but Miyuki's thoughts were drifted off somewhere else now. Outside there cell. Remnants of a familiar chakra still swayed around in the air.