A/N: Fourth Chapter! Here, you will finally learn some very interesting things, all spawned from a combination of actual legend (though not necessarily from Japan) and my imagination farm of a mind! ;D

Please, if you have only come here because it's a new chapter, I have made major, MAJOR updates to the first three, please read them or you won't get what's going on!

We have now skipped approximately a month into the future. Yuki is still in Suna, due to a known criminal trying to track her down. Mikomi is going to the library just before she quits from ANBU. She wants access to the Restricted Section before she goes back to being a Jonin. This is the first chapter with a sorta-kinda-maybe fight scene.;) Please tell me if I need improvement, and compliments are good too! Let's begin!

The darkened alcove that was the restricted, ANBU/Council/Kazekage-only area of the Suna Library was lit by a single lamp, bolted to the wall. Luckily for me, my night vision was excellent. I began to run my hand gently over the spines of books and the titles written on boxes of scrolls. I looked for anything on demons, Bijuu or otherwise. I found one large, dusty old tome entitled "Bijuu: The Chakra Monsters", an extremely old book with what appeared to be blood spattered on the cover that read "The Art of Sealing", which also had a silhouette of a many-tailed beast on it, and a box of scrolls called "Sunagakure Sealing History". In that last one, I was sure I would find an account of the sealing of Shukaku into Gaara, and gingerly replaced it. One last, ancient book caught my attention, and I hefted it down from the second shelf with the help of a ladder.

This book was so old that its pages were actually a great deal of tiny bones, inscribed with words which were filled with ink. The bones numbered in the hundreds of thousands, for the book was about the size of a medical text my mother kept. I hadn't been able to lift that thing until the last year, seeing as it weighed more than I did. The bones were linked by peeling animal-gut sinew. This book had to be hundreds, if not thousands, of years old. I blew at the dust that caked the cover. A thin layer flew off. For such a small amount of dust, it made a large cloud, and I coughed, waving the cloud away with my hand, my other arm clutching the large book. When I carried the ancient book over to the light, it still had a great amount of dust on it, covering the title, if it had one. Even so, it had left my arm and upper side of my body a grayish-brown color.

I wiped the book off, discovering the title almost at once. I didn't read it immediately, instead concentrating on beating my clothes free of the dust. When I looked at the book, I got right up and put the other two back. The title read "Children of the Moon: The Self-Sealing Bijuu". This I had to read.

I opened the book. Its heavy cover hit the floor with a muffled flump, and I began to read.

A thousand years before the Six-Paths Sage came into being, the Moon reigned supreme. While we see a glowing orb in the night sky, our ancestors saw a curled-up creature with ten tails. The legends this book is compiled of do not specify exactly what kind of creature, but it is rumored that the Moon took the form of a Ten-Tailed Wolf. The moon was believed to be the creation and source of all chakra, but many legends also state that she was the mother of the two greatest evils and the two greatest goods.

The evils were War and Fear. War took the form of a three-tailed, blood red cheetah, with glowing, murderous purple eyes, capable of bleeding the bravest warrior dry, and black markings, its tear tracks and black claws perpetually covered in blood. It took the name Senka, which did, indeed, mean War. It was bloodthirsty and violent, attacking without provocation regardless of the victim. All the children of the Moon were female, and Fear was no exception. She took the form of a spectral, five-tailed white tiger, striped in black. Her eyes, clear blue and cold like ice, could freeze a strong man in his tracks. She was merciless and cunning, with no ability to show mercy. She took pleasure in frightening living beings enough to feed her sister on their violent warmaking. She herself delighted in their fear, which was all the nourishment she required. She was called Osoreru, and lived up to her name like no other.

Osoreru? That was what Yuki had hissed. I continued reading, spellbound.

Still, for every evil, there is an equal and opposite good. These good spirits were Justice and Balance. Justice was blind, and wore a black blindfold, for she had no eyes. A jaguar, she had four tails and was black as coal. She was covered in open spots, some shaped as stars These were far darker than her fur, and she had a starry white underbelly. She judged all fairly, and despite her blindness, had the power to see the future. For this reason, she was called Yogensha, the Seer or Prophet. She was kind, but could also be ruthlessly violent if need be. She was the one who judged that the Six-Paths Sage, whom she saw in a vision, was important to the future of the world, and that his creation must not be halted. So, she saved the ancestors of the Six-Paths Sage from certain death, protecting them with the help of the final sister, Balance, usually called Kinkou.

Kinkou was the youngest of the four, Yogensha being the oldest, with Osoreru next. Senka was the third, and took the brunt of a curse placed upon her sisters. She had once been a quiet, happy spirit, always ready to play and laugh. Of course, that was before a curse was placed on the sisters. Senka leapt in front of her elder sisters and baby sister. According to legend, Kinkou was a newborn at the time. The curse was cast by a human-like being, Death. His terrible, spinning red eyes cast a curse of recklessness and anger upon them. Senka blocked Death's curse from reaching the other sisters. This destroyed her original soul, replacing it with a violent being who delighted in war and slaughter. Occasionally, her original self would show through, but not often.

Kinkou had two tails, taking on the form of a pure golden lioness. Her eyes were such a deep green that any male creature that looked into them would be instantly spellbound. A scar marred her left eye, a mark of a battle fought between Kinkou and Osoreru a hundred thousand years before the beginning of mankind, over something insignificant that no one remembered. Kinkou was deliberating and intelligent, easily deciphering hidden messages and codes. She was a creature of sand, loving the desert itself. Heat radiated from her body, and she warmed the world free of the Ice Ages created by Osoreru. She was more often than not playing pranks on her sisters instead of doing her job, because she believed that balance was best kept in motion. Usually, her ideas got her into trouble.

I stopped. Something was forcing my eyes away from the page. But what? When I heard a voice in my head, I began to think that maybe the book made you go insane.

Mikomi...Stop reading, child....This is not for the eyes of anyone, not even a carrier of one of the mentioned spirits.

What. The. Hell.

No...Close, though.

Who the hell are you? I thought furiously, scanning the room.

Oh, nobody special. Just a lioness demon called Kinkou.

Kinkou? Okay, now I'm positive this book makes people go insane.

A chuckle, in my head but also around me. I realized that I had laughed, even though I was apprehensive versus happy.

You're funny. I knew I would be like you once your mind was open enough to hear me.

Uh...Care to explain?

My thoughts were clearly not my own.

Simple, hon. I voluntarily leaped into the future to seal myself and my sisters into human girls. We needed some way to be kept in check. First, I sealed Yogensha into a baby from a noble family, in an extremely small shinobi village. The baby had been born blind anyway, which made her the perfect candidate. Next, I sealed Osoreru inside the girl who showed up here almost a month ago, Yuki. Yuki seems to have great control over her, proving that my choice was correct.

Woah! Yuki IS a Jinchuuriki! I knew it!

Well, yes. Then, I traveled around looking for a little child for Senka. I picked a baby girl out in snow, near the Leaf Village in winter. So far, Senka hasn't shown up yet, so I must have chosen correctly. That baby got picked up by an old man in robes just after the sealing was complete. As for me, I found you, just born, but already gazing at your parents. I can tell the difference between intelligence and reflex, and you were analyzing every detail of your parent's faces. So, I chose you, voluntarily sealing myself. Your parents didn't notice anything except you, and what seemed to be your first chakra flare. So, I watched you as you gave a toothless baby smile, burped, and fell asleep, putting me out like a light until now.

Okay...So that meant I was a Jinchuuriki. Like Yuki. Like Gaara.

No kidding. You just guessed?

Well, I, uh...yeah. It's a bit of a shock to find out I've been the host to a legendary ancient power my entire life.

My next thought was about Gaara, and what he'd do if I stayed here all day...

"Oh my god! I'm late for that lesson!"

I listened to Kinkou's laughter even as I bolted toward the training ground set aside for the Kazekage's taijutsu training. Gaara was doing much better than he had at first, and I intended to quit ANBU right away so I could tutor him full-time. ANBU was too much for me, for while it's true I'm sadistic and occasionally cruel, I'm still a softhearted pain in the rear. Believe me, even becoming a captain in record time didn't feel good when I did some of the stuff I despised the most, like torture. I was a feared ANBU, and I was now listed in the bingo book, but only as Shiku. I was also called the Golden Lioness, and only now did I realize how fitting that truly was.

As I skidded into the training area, I spotted Gaara leaning on a wall, already in his combat clothes. He had hit a growth spurt in the first week of our training, and he now dwarfed me by a foot and a half. He was about the same height as Kankuro now, and could look Yuki, who had stayed under the protection of the Kazekage, in the eye. Still, he seemed to enjoy training with me, and was quickly adapting my style into a totally different form unlike anything I had ever seen before.

"You're late, Mikomi. Unusual. Is everything all right?"

"Oh, everything's fine, I just got a little distracted at the library."

"Hm. So, are we working on kicks, blocks, or other methods today?"

"Actually, I thought we'd go to the oasis and spar. I think you could take down the average ANBU pretty easily by now, seeing as you learn so fast."

"Without the need to sleep at night, I have far more time to practice."

"Right. Okay, shall we go?"

He nodded once, and we ran towards the medium-sized oasis just inside the walls often used as a swimming pool. Yuki often frequented it now, and she was quite happy there. However, I privately hoped nobody was there today, since the Kazekage engaging in hand-to-hand combat with a known ANBU would arouse some concerns. When we arrived my wish had somehow been answered. There wasn't a soul in sight.

I turned to Gaara, raising an eyebrow. "And what do you do before a fight starts?"

He obediently shifted into his stance, used to my style of teaching by now. He slid his left foot back, twisting his hips to the side and bracing his weight into the ground, his knees bent. His body was facing the same general direction, with his head turned slightly, glaring straight at me. I paid no attention to his face, even though it was gorgeous. That would be a bad idea, particularly now. Instead, I focused on his arms, checking how he held them. His right was held at shoulder level, elbow bent up and hand curled into a fist. However, his left hand was loose, back next to his upper left leg. Still, my trained eye spotted how his hand and arm were tensed slightly, denoting his readiness to whip that hand forward, either with a kunai or to deliver a swift but incapacitating chop to the neck, back or leg.

I nodded in approval. "Very good, Gaara."

Without another word, I took my stance. I turned my entire body to the side, spreading my feet apart, carefully making sure that my balance was perfect. For someone of my size, if you got your balance off, it would all be over. I then turned my head to Gaara, glaring right back. My spread arms, also at my sides, were tensed and ready, my hands curled into tiny fists with enough force to whack a full-grown man into a wall. I wasn't very strong at all, merely capable of placing my punches in such a strategic way as to get maximum impact.

I grinned at him.

"Begin."

With that, we were off in a whirlwind of dust and dry leaves from the oasis' surrounding palm trees and bushes. Gaara was speedy enough, and what impressed me all the more was his willpower. He was fighting me, actually landing hits on me, at the same time as controlling his automatic sand shield defense so he could fight normally. I got in a punch to his jaw and a kick to his lower left chest before he landed a kick that actually sent me into the water. In a flurry of fists, water droplets and wind, we continued back and forth, blocking each other quite quickly. If any civilian or lower ninja had watched us now, they would see a dust cloud and a blur.

I sprinted behind Gaara, whacking him between the shoulder blades. He landed in the oasis, and five minutes later, the two of us were caked in light layers of mud. He leaped at me, and I barely dodged him. His far larger frame and advanced height should have given him an advantage, but I had taught him the original form of his strange style, so I knew most of his moves. I caught his next punch, using all the force my body could muster to send him flying into a nearby tree. It splintered, and he slumped to the ground.

I didn't let my guard down, and sure enough, he soon disappeared. A sand clone. My senses prickled uncomfortably, and I turned and blocked a flying kunai with one of my own. I smirked.

"Whatever happened to just Taijutsu, huh?" I called, somewhat miffed.

He appeared in a flurry of sand, right in front of me with a matching, but very slight, slight smirk on his face. "I got bored and wanted to change it up."

I grinned wildly, disappearing from in front of his mud-caked body. I reappeared above him in the air.

"Sky Technique: Avenging Angel!"

I flipped in midair, executing a sort of dive. Kunai appeared in my hands, and I crossed them. If I landed this, he would be out like a light. Unfortunately, I slammed into the ground a second too late. I shook the new dust layer off, searching for him. He appeared on my left, spinning in an attempt to land a kick to my head. However, he had misjudged the distance and gotten his trajectory off, so he missed. However, he had also overbalanced, so he fell the rest of the way. He slammed into me, throwing us both into the pool of clear blue water.

We landed hard in the shallow end, and as the water settled, I felt his weight over me. I wasn't positive what was going on, but the next thing I knew, I was looking straight into his eyes. They were the same clear aqua color as the water we were in. Our fall had splashed the mud off of us, so his pale, perfect skin shimmered slightly. He was wide-eyed, and looked extremely innocent. The black skin around his eyes was the same color as the black part of my hair. Just as I was about to laugh and try to get up, he did something I would never have expected, not from him.

He bent his head just a tiny bit, somewhat cautiously, closed his eyes, and pressed his lips warily to mine.

My eyes snapped shut, and I couldn't stop myself. I extricated my arms from my sides, winding them over his wide shoulders. His upper arms were flat on the pool floor, and he wrapped them around me, pulling me up with him into a kneeling position. One of his strong hands fisted into my hair, pushing me closer. I sighed, and my mouth opened slightly. He moved me onto his lap, pressing me to him. I cradled his head in my hands, the soft texture of his hair surprising me. I hadn't expected it to be so silky and smooth. Of course, my thoughts only stayed on his hair for a second before skipping straight back to his mouth.

He was acting purely on instinct, so I guessed. As my mouth opened a bit more, he slipped his tongue in. I gasped for air, and was (figuratively) floored by his sheer ability. I was extremely aware that he had not had any experience whatsoever with girls, and while I had never kissed anyone either, I was quickly mirroring him. Our tongues battled for dominance, and I have to admit that he won.

When we finally pulled apart and opened our eyes, I simply stared. He stared back, his arms still around me. He blinked once, tilting his head quizzically. I watched his face for any sign of anger, malice, or any other emotion. All I saw was shock. I'm sure I had an almost identical expression on my face, and I carefully closed my slightly open mouth. He did the same, and then withdrew his arms, but made no move to remove my own from his shoulders. I finally spoke at that moment.

"I'm sorry."

He frowned. "Sorry for what?"

I removed my arms, but when my hands slid into my lap, he held them between his far larger palms.

"You did nothing wrong, Mikomi."

"Yes I did!"

He was extraordinarily calm. "What could you possibly have done? I made a fundamental mistake that led to an extremely enjoyable experience."

Once again, I was floored. "Enjoyable? You really think so?"

He smirked. "Of course. I believe Kankuro told me that I was..."

"Was what?"

He blushed slightly, an extremely rare event that I had only seen on a few occasions, usually when Kankuro cracked a dirty joke.

"Kankuro said I was attracted to you, and you to me. Of course, he could have been joking, but you certainly affect me very differently than any other girl I know."

"Wha-"

He held a hand to my lips, still holding my hands in his other one. "Shh. I think he was right."

"You do?"

"Yes. I always feel...nervous...around you. I have noticed that you seem jumpier than usual when you know I'm around. I've seen you with Yuki, and you are infinitely calmer with anyone but me. I've also observed that your chakra flares up whenever I speak to you."

It was true. I was attracted to him, believe me. Everything about him was interesting to me. I didn't care that he was a Jinchuuriki, not even before I figured out that I was one. I remembered that last part of the legend I had read about Kinkou before she intervened. She was a creature of sand, loving of the desert itself. Technically, Gaara was the desert. He could control sand, and he was the leader of our village. Everything made sense to me then, and I looked at him again.

"Are you saying you like me?"

He frowned again. "I...well, yes. I think. I am not exactly well versed in matters of emotion."

I smiled softly, remembering his surprise kiss. He tasted like blackberries, my favorite fruit.

"I think you were pretty good. From what I'm told, many guys are far more apprehensive."

"And you don't...mind?"

"Mind? Are you crazy?" I laughed. "I've honestly wished for that exact event only a million times!"

Gaara smiled, an actual smile, no mere quirk of the lips. "In that case, I think it would be best if we no longer denied our mutual attraction."

"You mean like a couple?"

I was flushed, probably the color of a beet. By now, I was surprised nobody had shown up and seen us yet. Gaara was still holding my hands, and he lifted one to his mouth, kissing it gently.

"I believe so."

And so, I went home that afternoon with the first kiss of the Kazekage lingering on my lips and a dinner date set for the next night. I flopped into bed after a bowl of instant ramen and a quick shower, exhausted but happy. My mom was working the night shift at the hospital for the moment, and she wasn't home when I came in.

As I drifted to sleep, I remembered the parting kiss Gaara had given me before we ran to our respective homes to dry off and change. Just as soft and sweet as the partially accidental first kiss, his hand had remained on my face for a moment before he disappeared in a whirl of sand.

A/N: Too sappy? I'm concerned, as that was my first ever romantic scene. The relationship between the two will be developing, and I would love ideas on how to improve it if I need to. Thank you for reading, and I hope to post the next chapter soon!