'thinking'
Flash back or dream
"Talking"
Demon or inner
Gaara was trembling. She didn't know who he was. But wait, maybe she would remember. Yes, he remembered, didn't he? She would too. She had to… "Gaara…" Kankuro said, "this girl…". Gaara tried to shut his brother's voice out, and he returned his gaze to Naomi. Nothing. No spark of realization lit up her blood red eyes. The corner of her mouth didn't twitch for a smile meant for him. She didn't remember him. Period.
Gaara tore his eyes away from her and turned around to walk away. "Gaara, wait up!" Temari shouted, but Gaara threw a piercing glance at her that made her stop dead, in her tracks.
"I want to be alone"
"but-"
"Alone!" he almost choked out.
He disappeared in a swirl of sand, leaving the grainy gold where he had stood. Now that he was over the shock of encountering Naomi again, emotions started flowing through him. The hope died away, and it was replaced by anger. Anger that she didn't remember him. Anger that she had moved on. And where there was anger, there was the familiar blood lust. He remembered his promise, his vow to her, that he would be the one to kill her. Yes, her life's sole purpose was to be taken by him. That's what she was for. She was just another helpless little fawn to be slaughtered by the big bad wolf. And she didn't even know it, poor, naïve, weak, helpless, little fawn. Poor ignorant, useless little fawn!
He banged his fist on a wall, picturing her smiling lightly at her new 'friends'. She had forgotten him, left him, and abandoned him, and she would pay! No one who deserted him could be allowed to live. She was a traitor, she had betrayed him, and now she would die. He smiled wickedly to himself, making a promise to himself that before he left this village, she would be at his mercy, and he would not be kind. He slinked off ,into the shadows of Konoha.
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Kankuro had left her a while ago, probably trying to locate the Hatake girl. Temari now wandered through the streets of Konoha, noting that security was lax. Didn't any of them think there might be an invasion? Any of those vendors could be master poisonists, waiting for the perfect opportunity to poison a jonin. Any of these children could be nothing but shinobi in disguise. Pitiful. Konoha was too open, to welcoming, to trustful. And so, it would fall, to real shinobi villages, villages which knew that danger was inescapable, danger was everywhere. She sighed and continued walking through the streets of the doomed city. As she walked she noticed a small flower shop.
'Might as well, since there aren't many flowers in Suna. This might actually be a learning
experience'.
She walked in. The sign above the door said, "Yamanaka Flower shop". As she opened the door several little brass bells twinkled, alerting the clerk that there was a customer. "Good morning and welcome to the Yamanaka flower shop!" , a girl with tied back platinum hair and baby blue eyes, said, stepping forward. "Good morning "Temari answered back, absentmindedly. She stood in a room bursting with color. Everywhere she looked, she saw a new, fresh flower, to her .Violets, Daisies, Tulips, Camillas, Roses, Jasmins, and in a corner behind the counter, a jar of healthy Cosmoses. She ran her hand over the petals of a large Poinsettia, beside her. A new feeling festered within her. A combination of pleasure ,amazement and hope.
The clerk could feel Temari's glee rolling off of her in waves. She smiled, "you like Poinsettias?".
"Poinsettia…" Temari repeated. "Yes, I like them".
She moved her eyes to the left and saw a slender white flower, "what's that?".
The clerk came closer and patted the flower, "that's a Narcissus, very nice in creating a
calm aura".
The clerk looked up and saw Temari staring at the Cosmos with wide eyed fascination.
"That, there is a cosmos, not many know it's name but it's very common around here".
Temari looked away and instead looked at the floor. "I've never seen it. There aren't many flowers in the desert. She looked up, "I'll take the Poinsettias…and the Narcissus". The clerk smiled, "very nice choices , I'll pack them for you". As the clerk wrapped up the purchase, Temari wandered through the multicolored shelves.
She returned to the counter and saw her purchase wrapped neatly and ready for pick up. "Thank you for coming!" the clerk called. Temari was almost out the door when the clerk shouted, "wait!". She ran around the counter and stuck the lone cosmos in Temari's purchase. Temari looked at her questioningly.
"It's on the house" the clerk said simply. You need it to balance out the colors of your plants. There's red, for war and bloodshed, then white for peace and purity. The cosmos is pink , a combination of red and white, and is the balance of peace and war".
Temari blinked, "thanks…"
"Don't mention it".
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Shikamaru Nara was always known as being lazy. That's why, he was very, very reluctant to part with his bed to go on an errand for his mother. He left with the usual, "troublesome" and went on his way to the Yamanaka flower shop to pick up his mother's purchase. However, when he saw a girl with wild sandy hair and beautiful turquoise eyes walk past him, man, forget the bed, this trip was so worth it.
"She likes the Cosmos" Ino said as soon as he walked in. "What are you blabbering about?" he retorted. Ino's smile morphed into a smirk, the girl who walked out just now, with the sandy hair. She likes the Cosmos flower. "Why should I care about what some troublesome woman likes?" he asked, tilting his head to the side. Ino rubbed her chin thoughtfully ,"oh, I don't know. It might be a useful tip when you start courting her. Don't think I didn't see you staring at her ". Oh God, no. Shikamaru had a choking fit.
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Gaara sat on a roof in Konoha, letting the breeze shift through his hair. He sat there, brooding, when he heard a soft thud on the roof behind him, he was about to set a tendril of sand upon the intruder , turned around and saw that it was just 'Naomi'. The night breeze blew her hair around her as she surveyed him. "You're that guy from this morning". Gaara nodded slowly. She took a step closer to him and examined him, "you look sick" she stated. "You should get some sleep. It's harder for whatever virus to get to you if you've had a good night's rest".
At this remark, Gaara let out a small smirk, "I don't sleep".
"Ever?".
"Never".
There was respectable silence between them for a long time, they just sat there, enjoying the breeze and looking out at the moon. It was like time froze just for them and neither of them were about to break the silence. They sat there totally aware that the other was there, and not needing conversation to prove it. The silnce expanded for hours until
"I have to go now" Naomi mumbled as she pushed herself up. Gaara's eyes followed her, his eyes pained, just as it had been at a rusty swing in Suna, seven years ago. He watched her go, she stood at the edge of the roof top, but then her head turned slightly at an angle, and she said, "I have a mission tomorrow, but…". She turned to face him fully, a very small almost unnoticeable smile on her face "…I'll come here every night to see if you're around". She leapt off of the rooftop and leaped, far and high in the air, before doing a twirl in the air and landed on her feet gently, with the grace a leopard might use for hunting, as if all she did was step forward. Gaara sat there, dumbstruck at the feat she had produced. So graceful. It was a pity he hadn't seen her grow…
That as he sat on the roof, he kept on replaying Naomi's acrobatic leap. And he replayed her smile, her words, her habits, her memories. He sat there till sunrise and he still remembered, every memory growing stronger, clearer and more vibrant, but then another thought sank in. While Shukaku rested, asleep and unaware of his containers doubts, a new thought emerged. Would he be able to kill her?
Chapter 3 is done. Again, reviews really make my day, and it would be nice to get some more. As you can see, Gaara is having second thoughts about killing his child hoofd friend, but, you just have to wait and see if he goes through with it, suggestions, opinions, requests and flames are most welcome, and I'll try them out. Hope you enjoyed it!