Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
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It was a beautiful day in Konoha, the sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and children were playing in the streets. But all of this went unnoticed by the troubled Soraoi. She had been lost in thought for the last couple of days, wondering what it was she should do next. Stay home and live the life of a normal girl her age? Marry a man whom she'd only just met, but had fallen deeply in love with? Or go back to the life she'd always loved and always dreamed of living, growing in strength and skill until she'd become a master kunoichi?
It was the hardest decision she had ever had to make. Follow her passion, Follow her heart, or rest her tired soles. No, there really were only two choices; Tomoe or Gaara. As much as she loved Shikamaru and her parents, home wasn't really a place she belonged. She loved coming to visit, and wished she could come by more often, but she knew she had long since outgrown Konoha. It was wonderful village, and there was much she'd love to learn from it, but she knew, as well as her family did, that the gates of Konoha could never hold her in.
Over the time it had taken for Soraoi to heal from her injuries, she had experienced the life of a normal girl. She'd gotten to explore the village and the surrounding forest. She had meet new people, and learned some new jutsu's from her clan. She had lived a sample of the life she would have lived, had she never left the village. And as much as she had enjoyed this, deep in her soul, she knew it was not the life that suited her.
"SORAOI!" a voice shouting from behind her pulled Soraoi out of her walking daze.
"Oh, Hello Temari-san." Soraoi politely waved at the sand kunoichi, who was standing just outside of a popular Dango restaurant.
"I thought that was you." Temari walked over to Soraoi, "Why don't you come join us for lunch?" without waiting for Soraoi's reply, Temari began pulling the girl back to the restaurant.
"Us?" Soraoi asked, as she was dragged inside the restaurant.
There, sitting near the entrance of the restaurant, on a wooden bench table, were Tenten, Sakura, Ino and Hinata.
"Ohayo Soraoi." Sakura greeted the Nara girl. (A/N: Ohayo means Hello)
"Hello Soraoi." Tenten smiled as the two kunoichi approached the table.
"H-Hi Soraoi-san." Hinata stuttered.
"Hey Soraoi." Ino smiled at her teammate's sister.
"Hello Sakura-san, Tenten-san, Hinata-san, Ino-san; it's nice to see you all again." Soraoi bowed politely.
"How are you feeling?" Sakura asked.
"Much better, thank you." Soraoi motioned to her faded cuts and bruises, "I'm almost completely healed. And I'm finally done with the physical therapy." She added.
"That's good." Sakura replied.
"So… umm…" Temari stammered uncharacteristically, "have you decided yet?" she asked.
"Decided?" Ino repeated, ever the queen of gossip.
"Shiki-kun told you?" Soraoi questioned Temari.
She was fairly certain that Gaara wouldn't have mentioned it, and the only person she had told, was Shikamaru. So if Temari knew, that only meant Shikamaru had told her.
"How troublesome." Soraoi sighed.
"I think that's the first time I've ever heard you say 'troublesome' before." Temari smirked amusingly, upon hearing Shikamaru's trademark saying.
"Well it is." Soraoi replied. "And I can't believe Shiki-kun told you." She was a little disappointed that her brother had betrayed her confidence.
"Well if it makes you feel any better, I tortured it out of him." Temari explained.
"Well, I suppose it had to get out sooner or later." Soraoi sighed.
"So have you?" Temari asked again.
"No. I'm still unsure." Soraoi responded, "I'm very confused."
"I think you should go for it. You've been traveling all you're life, I think settling down for a while could be good for you." Temari reasoned.
"I suppose." Soraoi said thoughtfully, "but… I don't know if I'm ready to be getting married."
"MARRIED?!?!?" all five kunoichi shouted in surprise.
"That… wasn't what you were talking about?" Soraoi questioned, slightly blushing as she realized her mistake.
"N-No." Temari struggled to speak after receiving that piece of information. "My brother proposed?" she asked anxiously.
"Hai." Soraoi nodded her head in response.
"And what did you say?" Sakura eagerly asked.
"I didn't say anything." Soraoi explained. "He told me to think about it."
"Wait…" Tenten turned to Temari, "if you didn't know about this, then what were you talking about?"
"Shika told me that you were deciding between staying in Konoha permanently, and leaving to train with Tomoe-sama again." Temari explained to Soraoi.
"I know he wouldn't betray my confidence." Soraoi berated herself for ever having doubted her beloved brother.
"So what are you going to do?" Ino asked. The other four girls waited excitedly for Soraoi's reply.
"I don't know." Soraoi replied, looking agitated. "There's so much I need to think about."
All four leaf kunoichi nodded and stated their agreement. Only Temari remained silently lost in thought. It was her brother, after all, who had proposed to Soraoi. She understood Soraoi's dilemma; she had many desirable options from which to choose from. But as a sister, Temari didn't want her younger brother's heart to be crushed if Soraoi were to choose not to accept his proposal.
"Soraoi-chan." Tomoe barked, from the doorway next to the table where the six kunoichi were sitting.
"Tomoe-sensei." Soraoi stood up and bowed out of respect.
"May I speak with you for a moment?" Tomoe requested.
"Hai." Soraoi replied, "Temari-san, Tenten-san, Sakura-san, Hinata-san, Ino-san; excuse me." She politely bowed before exiting the restaurant with Tomoe.
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"What was it you wanted to speak with me about, Tomoe-sensei?" Soraoi asked.
They had been walking in silence for the past ten minutes. They had made their way out to the forest that surrounded the village of Konoha, and now stood in the middle of a clearing.
"It has come to my attention that the young Kazekage has engaged you in a proposition of marriage." Tomoe stated bluntly, turning to look upon her apprentice, trying to see her reaction to this information.
"How-" Soraoi was about to asked, but changed her mind. Her master was very adept at intelligence gathering; it really didn't surprise Soraoi that she had discovered this.
"Am I to assume you will no longer be returning to your training with me?" Tomoe asked.
"I-" Soraoi began, "I have not yet decided." She replied honestly.
"I see." Tomoe could understand the confusion that was no doubt plaguing her apprentice's mind at the moment. "I have a peace of advice." Tomoe began, "Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart." (1).
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The day had finally arrived, and Soraoi was feeling the pressure. She had spent the last four days weighting all the pros and cons of each choice, only to come to the same conclusion; it was troublesome. She loved Gaara very much, but her dream had always been to become the greatest kunoichi ever. Choosing one, meant she would have to give up the other; but which one?
Soraoi had spent the whole day wandering the training grounds until she found herself once more, up on the grassy hillside Shikamaru had taken her when they were younger. It was among the furthest points from the main gates in the entire village, and that's what she needed; distance. The rumors of Gaara's proposal had made their way through the streets of Konoha, and today was not a day Soraoi wanted to be out where everyone could see her.
The day had been nice out, which normally would have made Soraoi very happy, but with everything going on in her head, she had found little enjoyment in watching the clouds fly by, as she lay down on the grass, watching the sky above. After a while, she had fallen asleep without even realizing it, and woke up hours later.
"Oh no!" She exclaimed, as she saw the position of the sun, and realized how late it really was. "I have to hurry." She told herself, getting up to rush towards the village gates.
The sand siblings were due to leave for Suna in a few minutes, and Soraoi had not yet given Gaara her reply. She did not yet know what it was she was going to say to him, but she certainly didn't want him to leave without seeing him one last time.
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"GAARA!" Soraoi yelled out, hoping to catch the attention of the red head and his party, who had just arrived at the village gates.
There was a large group assembled around the gates; no doubt to bid the sand ninja's goodbye. It seemed like everyone had made it to wish the Kazekage farewell. Shikamaru and all of his friends were there; even Shikaku, Yoshino, and Tomoe were there, along with the hokage and Shizune.
"Gaara-kun." Soraoi said, out of breath, as she reached the departing group. "May I speak with you for a moment?" she asked, having caught her breath some.
Gaara motioned towards a short distance away from the group, and Soraoi followed.
"I was afraid I might not see you before I left." Gaara spoke, trying to break the uneasy tension between the two.
Normally he wouldn't mind standing in awkward silence, but he could tell that Soraoi was having a hard time with whatever it was she wanted to say, and so he spoke so try and ease her anxiety.
"Umm…" Soraoi stared down at the dirty road, unable to come up with the right words.
"…" Gaara remained silent, though inside he was anxious to know what it was she had decided.
Moment's earlier, he had feared that she would not have given him an answer; now at least he would know for certain whether she had rejected him or not. It would devastate him if she did, but at least he would know.
"I love you." Soraoi looked up to face him.
"I love you too." Gaara replied, feeling much better, hearing those words leave her mouth.
"But…" there was a lump in her through she was trying to fight back. "I can't go with you." She chokingly finished.
"…" That hurt. His body had stiffened when she had uttered the word 'but', but he remained unmoved and listened to what she had to say.
A part of him wanted to salvage his pride and walk away in his usual unemotionally, reserved manner, but another part of him just had to know, "Why?"
"This is the hardest decision I've ever had to make." Soraoi explained, "I want to be with you, but I can't forget my dream of becoming a great kunoichi. If I give that up now…" She chocked on the words, "But I don't want to lose you either…" Soraoi was on the verge of tears at this point, as she noticeably trembled.
"You won't." He walked up to her and embraced her in his arms, kissing her forehead.
They stood there for a moment, as the others looked on. After a few moments, Gaara loosed his hold on her and cupped her face with his right hand, bringing it up to face him and look her in the eyes.
"I first met you under the Crystal rainbow; if I must wait, than I will wait." He brought his face closer to her until they were only centimeters apart, and then he brushed her lips with hers, giving her a faint and gentle kiss.
"Life is really quite simple, and yet we insist on making it more complicated than is truly necessary." Tomoe walked up to the two young lovers, after they had separated from one another. (2)
"Tomoe-sensei…" Soraoi began, but Tomoe motioned for her to be silent.
"When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals, adjust the action steps." Tomoe said, "Or adjust to fit the circumstances." (3)
"What do you mean?" Soraoi asked, confused.
"I mean, dear child," Tomoe walked over to where Soraoi and Gaara were standing, "It might be good change to train in a desert climate for once."
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(1), (2), (3): these are Confucius quote (well, 1 and 3 are a little modified to fit the story, but basically say the same thing).
A/N: yeah… I changed my mind, I was going to make this the last chapter, but I think I need one more, so this is the second to last chapter. But the story pretty much ends here, the next chapter will just be to tie up lose ends, you know, the whole "and they lived happily ever after." ending. :D
Hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Thanks again to everyone who's reviewed. :D