It was 11:30 at night. Naoko was sat outside on the wall at the edge of the balcony. She was going shopping tomorrow with Temari and Yuki. But right now she didn't care. She looked over the edge of the balcony to the ground far below. Her fear of heights seemed unimportant right now. It wouldn't take much, she thought. Just one jump. And then no more pain. No more thinking. No more running.
The night times were always the worst. There was no reason for her to put on an act. No one to be strong for. No one to put on a brave face for. For Naoko, the darkness brought memories, coldness and loneliness.
Her mind was clouded with thoughts of despair. Would she be running for the rest or her life, she wondered. Most of all, she didn't want to leave Gaara. How she wished her parents were still here. She longed to hear their voices, their advice. She looked up at the cold, pensive moon. "I wish you could meet him, mother. I think you'd like him. He's funny" she smiled as a tear traced it's way down her face.
Gaara stood at the door to the balcony, watching her. She hadn't noticed him yet. She was perched on the edge of the balcony, her knees tucked under her chin, her arms wrapped around herself. She looked so fragile. He noticed that her shoulders were shaking slightly. She was crying. He stepped outside.
"Naoko…"
She jumped at the sound of his voice. She looked over to him with wide, glistening eyes. Gaara walked over to her.
"Why are you crying?" he asked.
Then she looked up at him with such a sadness that Gaara felt his heart break. She stood up, her face sharply creased with pain. Her eyes welled up with fresh tears.
"Oh Gaara…" she gasped, and the tears came flooding out.
He didn't know what to do. He wanted to make her stop crying. He wanted to see her smile. She stood in front of him weakly, her shoulders hunched. She looked so vulnerable.
He reached out and took her in his arms. He wasn't entirely sure why… it was instinct. At first, her body stiffened and she stood against him rigidly, resisting the comfort she'd never had. But soon she fell against him. She clung to him fiercely, desperately. Her sobs wracked her body violently as she cried, burying her face into his chest. She managed to form words.
"They're going to kill me, Gaara"
She continued to cry. Gaara stood there, holding her. He was confused.
"Who? Who's going to kill you?" he whispered.
"Th…The clan that killed m…my family"
Her crying was becoming more violent now, and she sobbed and choked, shaking uncontrollably. Gaara couldn't bear it. He held her tighter, squeezing her helpless body against his. His arms were wrapped around her protectively, enveloping her in a cocoon of warmth. He buried his nose into her soft hair, breathing her in. He was getting desperate now. He couldn't stand to hear her cry like this. It was clawing at something within him and he hated it. He kissed her head softly; it was an affectionate gesture that was unfamiliar to him, but somehow it seemed like the right thing to do. He felt relieved when she responded positively, gripping him even tighter, so he continued to press soft kisses against her forehead, again and again.
After a while, she quietened down, weeping softly against him. Every so often, her body was wracked as a rogue sob escaped her, but soon she became exhausted and she couldn't cry anymore. She fell silent.
Gaara wondered how many nights Naoko had spent like this, crying on her own. Suddenly, it hit him hard- He realised just how much he cared about her. He never wanted to see her cry like this again. He'd do anything to make it better. He began to rock her gently.
Naoko felt safe with Gaara. She felt like a child in his arms. She savoured his warmth. Drawing in a shaky breath, she started to speak.
"It happened so long ago…" she began, speaking in hushed whispers. "There was a disagreement between my clan, the Imamura clan, and another clan, the Saito clan. It ended in warfare. The Saito clan leader's son, Korei, was killed. From that day forward, the head of the Saito clan pledged revenge against us… they killed my family… my father, my grandparents… everyone. I saw my mother being strangled to death."
She looked up at him, her face still moist with tears. He remained silent. His arms around her offered more comfort than words ever could.
"I ran away. And I've been running ever since. I'm the last of the Imamura clan. The Saito clan won't rest until I'm dead. That's why I move from place to place, never staying anywhere for too long. So they can't find me."
Gaara listened intently.
"They're going to kill me" she repeated.
Gaara felt a fierce surge of protective rage.
"I won't let them" he growled dangerously.
Naoko brought her hands up around his shoulders, caressing the soft hair at the nape of his neck. He felt himself dissolve at the feeling of her hands touching his skin. She laid her head against his chest. She could hear his heart beating fast. She smiled.
"I know about your past Gaara" she said softly.
He froze.
"Temari told me everything. About Shukaku, your father, Yashamaru, all the killing… Everything"
He panicked. She looked at him and saw the fear in his eyes. He turned away from her. The silence stung as he awaited rejection. As if it would soften the blow, he closed his eyes, moonlit aquamarine irises disappearing as black lids closed tightly.
"Do you… think I'm a monster?" he whispered, ashamed.
"…No… I think you're amazing"
He turned back to her, stunned.
"We're the same Gaara" she echoed her words from the night before. "We understand each others' pain. The pain of being alone."
He looked at her and he knew she was right. They understood each other. And even after discovering the horrific things he'd done, and the demon he'd been, she still accepted him. Could it be that she liked him for who he was? Not the demon, or the legend or the rumours, but the human; the man called Gaara? In that moment he realised that he wouldn't mind giving up his loneliness if he could spend his life with someone who accepted him. Someone like Naoko.
Their eyes locked. He traced a timid finger gently up her neck to her chin, lifting her face up to his. They came closer, until their lips were touching so slightly they were barely in contact at all. His heart pounded in his ears. He parted his lips slightly, brushing his lips against hers with feather lightness. She closed her eyes. He kissed her. Softly at first. Hot tears were transferred from her cheeks to his. She brought her hands up to his face, stroking the hair back from his forehead. His stomach flipped as he realised he'd been aching to hold her like this. She wound her fingers into his fiery hair, pulling him in for a deeper kiss. He took the cue to open his mouth, his tongue meeting the warmth of hers. She tasted amazing…kind of sweet, he decided. He wrapped his strong arms around her waist, pulling her roughly against him. She smiled into the kiss. He guessed that she could feel the hardness in his pants, and he blushed a little. He couldn't help it… He just couldn't seem to control THAT part of his body when Naoko was around.
The kiss intensified, becoming rougher, almost savage. They panted, lapping at each other's mouths, embracing desperately. Naoko didn't want it to end. Gaara sucked her tongue into his kiss and she moaned involuntarily. He silently congratulated himself. She nibbled his lower lip before breaking the kiss, a fine string of saliva still connecting them.
"Maybe you'll remember this time" he joked, smiling.
She chuckled softly, resting her head on his shoulder and nuzzling into his neck. "I'll definitely remember this" she breathed seductively.
He shivered at the sound of her voice, her breath hot against his ear. She kissed the spot behind his earlobe. Then she took his earlobe in her mouth, experimentally. She sucked it, flicking it with her tongue, before biting it gently. The Kazekage let out a moan, quite by accident, and the deep sound vibrated through his throat to her lips. She continued to nibble. Gaara silently commanded himself to calm down. She was going to drive him crazy with this, he thought.
She planted a final slow kiss on his earlobe, before halting her attack. She looked at his pleasure filled face. His eyes were half closed and his mouth open slightly. She hugged him tightly. So tightly, it was as if she was trying to crush their bodies together until they merged as one. He held her, treasuring her.
"I'm tired" she finally announced.
He was disappointed. He didn't want it to end. He wanted it to go further. Much further. But he respected her wishes and walked her back to her room.
She stood at the door, gazing at him before reaching up to touch the kanji on his forehead.
"Love" she whispered, reading aloud. She gave him a final dazed smile and closed the door.
He remained frozen outside her door on the balcony, contemplating the meaning of what had just happened. He reached up and touched the same place Naoko had just touched. Love.
He slowly strolled back to his own room. His head was fuzzy.
"Love? Don't judge me by your standards. I love only myself. Fight only for myself."
His own words from years ago echoed through his mind. How wrong he'd been. He entered his room, closing the door behind him.
Far below, down in the village, a dark figure watched from the shadows. His eyes were transfixed on the couple embracing on the balcony. He watched as they disappeared into separate rooms. He'd seen everything.
He shuffled triumphantly and his Kumogakure headband glinted sharply in the moonlight.
He laughed in a low, hacking voice.
"Found you"
He turned to leave Suna, heading back to his clan headquarters in Kumogakure. Tokugawa, the head of the clan would be satisfied to know that the Imamura girl had finally been found.
The dark figure grimaced. From what he'd just witnessed, the girl now had a fearsome and dangerous ally…Sabaku no Gaara, the Kazekage of Sunagakure. Tokugawa wouldn't be too happy about that.
The stranger slipped away into the darkness of the night.