So sorry it took so long but I finally have the next chapter ready. It's a little shorter than normal because that just seemed too perfect of an ending and I couldn't help myself. I'll work really hard to get the next chapter up quickly.
Oh, before I forget, insert the usual disclaimer here.
Ch. 16: The Return
Aya walked through the village feeling a little sad. That wasn't normal for her. Aya usually always found a reason to be happy. The smallest thing could make her happy. Today should be perfect. It was a bright day with a blue skies and white puffy clouds. Flowers grew all around her and children laughed as they played. The smell of spring was in the air, tingling her senses. But none of it made her smile. It was her sixteenth birthday and Gaara had forgotten. Not only him but everyone. That was just pathetic.
"I need to find new friends," she grumbled to herself. How could they just forget like that? It all started this morning when she'd gone to see Gaara....
//////////Flashback//////////
"Good morning Gaara," Aya greeted cheerfully.
He glanced up and saw her coming. His eyes warmed noticeably as he finished locking his door. "Aya."
"Whatcha doin'?"
"Going to work. As Kazekage I have a lot to do today."
The cheer in her eyes dimmed a little. "Oh...how long will you be working today?"
"Probably all day," he replied as if not seeing the dejected look in her eyes. "The attack from the Akatsuki left me with a lot of paperwork."
She sighed. "I see. You can't even take an hour for today?"
"No. The only way I could get out of my duties today is if it was of great importance. Today isn't any different from any other day so I'll spend it working."
Aya jerked a little as if she'd been slapped. Her blue-green eyes held hurt, but she managed a smile anyway. "Alright then. I guess I'll see you later."
"Is something wrong, Aya?" he asked her curiously.
She shook her head. "No, Gaara. Every thing's fine. You go take care of Suna. I'll see you tomorrow." She turned and rushed off before he could question her further.
//////////End Flashback//////////
Her meetings with everyone else was pretty much the same. They'd all forgotten. Aya sighed. What was she supposed to do now? She couldn't even bring herself to want to paint. For most of the day she sat on the cliffs Gaara went to frequently and stared out at Suna. Her mind wondered around and she became unaware of her surroundings. When the light began to fade as the sun set, Aya finally stood and made her way through the village. For once, she didn't get lost as she walked home. Nothing caught her eye so she was actually paying attention to her surroundings.
Aya turned into her clan's compound with another sad sigh. How could they all just forget her birthday like that? She stepped inside and nearly jumped out of her skin as a large group of people shouted, "SURPRISE!!!!" Aya looked around and found herself smiling as she looked around in shock. They were all there. Kankuro, Temari, her clan, Baki, Hana, and.....Gaara. She felt her heart do a quick jig in her chest as she looked at him. He was there. For Gaara, that meant something.
"Well...I didn't expect this," she managed when she could speak again.
"That was kinda the point," Kankuro stated. "It doesn't make a very good surprise party if you expect it."
She laughed, "I guess not."
"Now," Temari said as she threw an arm around Aya's shoulders. "You didn't really think we'd forget your birthday, did you?"
Aya shook her head and told one of the biggest lies of her life. "Not for a moment."
There was a round of laughters because Aya wasn't a good liar. Music began to play and dancing began. Aya made her way over to Gaara. "Hey, you guys had me worried for a while."
"Kankuro's idea."
She chuckled. "I should have known." Aya looked up at him and grinned. She grabbed his hand and pulled him out onto the dance floor. "Come on, Gaara. Time to loosen up."
"What?" he demanded in shock and confusion. "I don't...."
"Don't worry. Just relax and let the music tell you how," she informed him.
Gaara found himself dancing with Aya, and he didnt' have any clue how it had happened. He almost pulled away but changed his mind. It was her birthday. He couldn't bring himself to do anything that would upset her now. Not after they had all made her day miserable by pretending to forget. Gaara let her show him the basics and led her through a single dance before someone else cut in. That was a relief. Needless to say, Gaara didn't have much practice dancing. He looked around and saw that Kankuro was talking with Hana, Aya's childhood friend. From what he could tell, Hana had a huge crush on Kankuro and she wasn't good at hiding it. Gaara's brother was taking a great deal of delight in teasing her and pretending not to notice. His eyes scanned over the rest of the people. Some were dancing with lovers, others were laughing and talking with friends. Aya's party was a hit.
Temari came into the room carrying a cake. "Alright everyone, Aya's mother made this and it's time to get it circulating. Before that though, Aya has to blow out the candles. And after that, we can get her to open presents."
Aya walked over to the cake. A warm and happy smile was plastered on her face as she looked at the cake. Gaara felt his lips curve a little. No one but his siblings and Aya would notice the smile. Normal people might not even call it that but they knew. For Gaara, it was a smile.
Aya thought about it for a moment before settling on a wish. She blew out the candles and everyone cheered. Presents began to get handed to her. She opened them with excitement and found herself floating on cloud nine with happiness. Her parents had gotten her brand new paint brushes that came with a beautiful box to place them in. Engraved on the platinum box was her name. Aya could barely contain the urge to go and test out her knew brushes. There would be time for that later. First, the rest of the presents.
Kankuro handed her his. She found herself looking into the box with a wide smile. He'd gotten her pictures of all her friends. They were even in frames for her to hang on her walls or set on shelves. Kankuro had even gotten pictures of her friends from Konoha. Aya jumped up and hugged him enthusiastically. Temari was next as she handed her a bag. Aya opened it up and let out a small gasped before saying, "Awww, it's so cute." She pulled out the stuffed animal that resembled Shukaku. She saw several traits that reminded her of Gaara, especially the sea green eyes that gazed up at her.
"It resembles Gaara's Shukaku form. Only I had it made into something cute. No offense to him but Shukaku isn't that great looking. The toy maker managed to change that with the toy," Temari stated.
Aya smiled, "He did good. It's adorable. Thanks."
She set the stuffed Shukaku next to her and turned for the next present. She received various other presents from everyone ranging from art supplies to books to clothing. Soon she had opened all but one present. It was small and no name was on it. Still, she knew from the stiffening of his body who'd given it to her. Aya slowly opened the box. Gaara rarely gave anyone a present. Last year was the first time he'd gotten her anything and that was before he knew she loved him. She could hear and feel her heart pounding in her chest, Aya wasn't sure if she was nervous or excited. Maybe a little of both. The lid came off and Aya gasped in surprise. A necklace sat inside. The star pendant was made of one of the most beautiful gems she'd ever seen. The light had the stone glittering blue-green and she found herself getting lost in it.
"It's beautiful," she whispered.
Gaara relaxed a little. He'd had Temari help him pick out a gift for Aya. What did he know about presents? In his entire life, Aya had been the only one to give him one. So when he found himself trying to decide what to get for Aya, he'd gone to Temari for help. His sister had taken him out immediately and he found himself shopping. He never, absolutely never, wanted to do that again. But...the smile on Aya's face did make his suffering worth it.
She looked at him with a big smile. Aya didn't say anything, but she didn't have to. The party went on well into the night. Finally, people began leaving to get some much needed sleep. Gaara was the last to make his way towards the door. Aya's clan had already made their way to bed, leaving only Aya and him up. She hugged him tightly. "Thank you for the necklace, Gaara."
He gave her one of his rare smiles. Without really thinking about it, he almost reached up to touch her but remembered that he was still keeping some distance between them. His hand dropped "I'm going home now. Tomorrow I really will have to spend most of the day working."
Aya laughed. "I know. Thank you for being here, Gaara. It meant a lot to me."
Gaara nodded and turned to walk away. Aya's eyes widened as she saw something in his eyes that she hadn't seen before. She reached up and took his face in her hands to get a better look. He looked surprised to find himself face to face with her. She blinked at him and then smiled slowly. Gaara wondered what she saw that made her so happy. Aya never told him. She simply released him and said, "Good night, Gaara."
He walked away with a frown. Now what in the world had that been about? He'd said it before and he'd say it again. "I will never understand her."
Weeks seemed to just fly by. Gaara noticed that Aya's head was in the clouds more than normal. Ever since her birthday, she'd been practically overfilling with happiness. Then again, maybe that was normal. Aya was normally a cheerful person. He could just be over analyzing her actions. Aya did go through period of extreme happiness after all.
"Hello, Gaara."
Speak of the devil. He turned and couldn't help the smile. Aya was running up to him waving. Her dark hair was pulled back into braid, and he saw paint speckles on her hands and clothes. She'd been painting recently. Come to think of it. She'd been painting a lot recently. Aya slid to a stop in front of him and tried to catch her breath.
"I was afraid I wouldn't catch you," she said between breaths.
"You're lost again," Gaara stated.
She looked up at him sheepishly. "No. Of course not."
He shook his head at her. "You're a terrible liar."
"I know," she admitted easily. "Where are you going?"
Gaara opened his mouth to respond, but a hyperactive blond from Konoha interrupted him. They heard Naruto's shouted, "Gaara!" from all the way across the village.
Aya laughed. "Some things never change. Let's go see what he wants."
Gaara nodded in agreement and led the way to the village gates. There Naruto stood with a big, goofy grin. "What do you want, Naruto?" Gaara asked without preamble.
"It's official. I'm going to be the next Hokage of Konoha," Naruto informed them. Excitement was in ever gesture and word he said.
"You came all this way just to tell us that? We already knew you would be," Gaara replied with a tired sigh. Just looking at Naruto exhausted him. Just where did this boy get all that energy?
"But it wasn't official. Now it is."
Aya chuckled and gave Naruto a hug. "Congratulations, Naruto."
"Thanks, Aya."
"Is that the only reason you're here?" Gaara asked Naruto. For some reason he couldn't believe Naruto came all this way just to tell them that.
Naruto turned serious. "Has anyone ever told you that you're a mind reader, Gaara?"
"No."
"You're as bad as Sasuke," the blond grumbled. "We found the Akatsuki's hide out. Konoha is preparing to attack. Lady Tsunade is sending messangers to every village to see if they want to participate."
"When?" Gaara demanded.
"In a month. We wanted time to prepare and mobilize."
The Kazekage nodded. "Suna will be prepared."
Naruto nodded. "I'll let the hokage know."
Aya had stood to the side quietly. She was scared. What if Gaara got hut? The Akatsuki wanted him and Naruto after all. This could be a trap. They could all die. Aya shook her head. She couldn't let herself think like that. Gaara would be fine. He had Shukaku and the sand. Nothing could beat him.
Gaara and Naruto left to go talk with the Suna Council. Aya sighed and began walking aimlessly. Eventually, she wondered outside the village and found herself standing in front of the cave she'd been kept prisoner in by Sasori. Out of curiosity, Aya made her way inside. She looked around and saw nothing. She frowned. Deidara's body had been found and returned to his village to deal with as they saw fit. That should have left Sasori. Aya walked over to the spot where the puppet master had been standing last.
After her kidnapping, Aya got Sasori's full story from his grandmother, Kankuro's teacher. Sasori had been a lonely boy, much like Gaara. The difference being why they were lonely. Sasori had lost his parents while he'd been a child. Aya couldn't imagine what it would be like to lose anyone in her family and she didn't want to find out. That kind of pain might be unbearable.
"No wonder he turned bad," she grumbled as she looked for signs of the rogue shinobi of the Red Sand. "What else could happen when he carried around that kind of pain day in and day out." She glared at the cave. "Where is he? Dead people don't just walk away."
"No but they do get carried away by fellow Akatsuki members."
Aya froze and her heart began to pound in her chest. Her mind screamed a denial of what she'd just heard. There was no way in hell. He was dead. She saw it with her own eyes. The voice behind her couldn't be his. It just couldn't.
The voice behind her continued. "Then a little jutsu using a little chakra from the two tailed cat and the dead person can be brought back to life."
Slowly, Aya turned to face her worse nightmare. "Sasori Akasun."
He smirked. "Hello Ayame Hayashi."
That's it for now. Like I said, I'll work really hard to get the next one up. I had a lot of people tell me they liked the way I used Sasori in the last Gaara story I wrote so I figured, why not, and brought him back. Could be interesting. Until the next chapter...
