Author's note: See? I told you I'd get this out in record time. I've also changed the rating for now, since I'm not sure how much "Adult" content I'll be putting in.

Disclaimer: You know the drill.

Chapter 6

Gaara awoke dazed and confused. He had been sleeping… a rare occasion. It was even rarer that he should find himself waking peacefully instead of panicked and drenched in sweat. He hated sleeping, but it was always the one thing his body yearned for the most. He shifted his eyes down and found Ino collapsed on the side of his bed.

See? There's nothing to be afraid of…

His dream… It was pretty obvious as to what had happened. She entered his dreams… but why had she done that? Did she sense his torment? Only a moment after Gaara regained consciousness, Ino shifted. She was slowly coming to. The "princess" lifted her head tiredly and took in the moonlight darkness. She looked satisfied. She then turned her head toward Gaara and gasped a little. She froze, like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Ino…," Gaara whispered without thinking. Her eyes widened a little.

Crap. I just blew her cover. It always took him a few minutes after waking up to get his head straight. It was especially bad for Gaara, since sleep was such an atypical event for him. Maybe I should learn how to sleep half of my brain at a time, like the dolphins.

Ino laughed. It was a nice laugh, musical, and unhindered. It looked like she wasn't afraid… or shocked anymore. Was she reading his mind?

"I don't think that works so well for terrestrial animals. Your body is paralyzed during REM sleep. It might be very fun being half paralyzed." Ino suggested as an image of a dolphin swimming in circles was presented to him in his head. This illustration was then replaced with a picture of him walking in circles with half of him body limp, like a Zombie. She's projecting her thoughts to me.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to eavesdrop." Gaara felt her physically pull her mind away. He sat up and smiled.

"That's okay. I spent most of my life with someone listening in on my thoughts." Shukaku wasn't nearly as entertaining.

She smiled again and looked down. "So… you know who I am then… I didn't think you'd even remember me"

How could not? Did she really think he had forgotten her? It wasn't a surprising concept, considering his behaviour up to and including the Chuunin exams. Plus, the fact that they barely said a word to each other during his stays in Konoha afterward probably didn't help his case. "Princess Ino of Konoha… Distributor of plant reproductive organs… You don't make yourself easy to forget."

Ino laughed again. He decided he loved her laugh. She looked up at him again, apologetically. "Sorry for trying to deceive you... You knew from the beginning?"

He nodded.

"Why didn't you say anything to anyone?"

"It didn't matter. The marriage was important for the alliance. I didn't really care if it was you or the real Princess Mai. If she wasn't here, then there must have been a good reason."

"There is. She's dead."

"Oh… " That would explain things. Princess Mai didn't have any sisters or cousins of whom the village could have offered in her place. They were desperate. Gaara looked at the floor. Still. It wasn't fair to force the Yamanaka girl into a loveless marriage. It was selfish of him to let her continue her act after he first saw her upon his arrival. He just wanted to where things would lead. Gaara remembered what Ino had said about waiting for her "Prince" to arrive on his white horse. He thought about how she had abruptly ended their conversation in the gardens. She had gotten homesick talking about flowers. Although his childhood friend would have made his existence much more amusing, he didn't think it fair to keep her from what she truly wanted in life.

"You know, you don't have to go through with this," Gaara started. She looked confused. "The marriage, I mean. It obviously doesn't matter to me. They'd find another victim to be my bride. I can tell you've been homesick… and you've been waiting for your prince…" He still wasn't making much sense, but Ino seemed to be able to decipher meaning from his ramblings. "You could tell them I found out and…"

"… fail my mission? You have no idea how much they paid Konoha for me".

The mission had failed the moment she was selected. He had simply recognized her because it was her. There was nothing she could have done to fool him into thinking she was anyone else. He knew her by scent. "Under these circumstances, I'm sure they'd understand. Plus, your life shouldn't be for sale."

"Well… they were going to make me royalty. I could hardly argue." Ino gave what seemed like her best impression of an evil smirk. Adorable.

After all that has happened, she was still able to maintain a sense of humour. And as expected, she was willing to do anything, even sacrifice any possibility of her own happiness for her village. How admirable. "So are you saying you want to continue with the Charade?" Gaara asked, already knowing the answer.

"If it doesn't matter to you, than I'm all for Charades."

"We… can pretend like this night never happened then." In a way, Gaara was relieved. He dreaded the idea of returning to a life without Ino's blunt sarcasm and witty remarks. He didn't feel as alone with her around.

"Thank you." She thanked him as if he was the one doing her the favour. With that, Ino turned and walked to the balcony.

"Ino?" She turned to look at him. "Thank you for saving me from my own nature," Gaara quoted himself from the night on the roof. He wasn't clairvoyant, but had a feeling he wouldn't have trouble sleeping anymore. It was a miracle the change that could take place in one night. Maybe she was an angel… or a witch. Ino smiled… and then she was gone.

--

Ino was still shaking when she returned to her room. She was certain she was going to die when she found Gaara awake. After all, she had tried to deceive him. She invaded his space, and invaded his mind. He must have woken up just as she was leaving his mind. It had taken her a few minutes to untangle her thoughts from Gaara's.

Ino was so relieved when she found that Gaara wasn't angry. His face was unreadable as ever, but for a few minutes, his walls were down. She could freely hear his thoughts, and… he seemed quite amused. He had said that he didn't mind the attempted deception… and he had remembered her! For some unknown reason, that had made her deliriously happy. She had no idea how she didn't recognize him as her childhood friend, but he had recognized her, and that was… wonderful! It'll certainly make the rest of her mission go a lot smoother. She no longer had to fear for her life… she was no longer in risk of being discovered as a fraud. Everyone else, she could read. Gaara had been the trump card, but now, she was safe.

--

Author's note: I know you all expected something steamy. Afterall, they were alone in Gaara's room in the middle of the night! Give it time! A great love story needs time to flourish.