It was a late afternoon in Suna. Akane and Gaara were coming back from the training grounds after sparring.
"Kankurou and Sasuke offering to make dinner? If I didn't know any better I'd say that someone has kidnapped them and replaced them with lookalikes." Akane chuckled at the thought.
"Maybe they're up to something."
"Maybe you're just being paranoid."
Half an hour later, inside one of the small, paperwork storage rooms in the kage's house.
Akane and Gaara were sitting on the floor with their backs on the opposite walls so that they were facing each other.
"Akane, I know that this isn't a very good time but, I told you so."
"I told you so? What are you, nine?"
Gaara scowled at this. "No. But I was right, they were up to something."
"Like I care who was right at this point! All I know is that Sasuke used some kind of barrier so we couldn't get out unless they let us. Anyway, you should really fix the light in here... I almost got hit in the head by one of those files the last time."
"You were here before?"
"…"
"Akane?"
"…"
"You got lost and ended up here while you were on your mission to kill me."
"Ah, yes?"
"Is there anything you can do without messing up?"
"I never mess up, I just get sidetracked."
"Sure you do."
Akane sighed. "So... Why do you think they locked us up in here?"
"I have no idea."
"I thought so... Lets just think for a second. The two of us, in a small, dark room, with no way out..." Then a thought hit her and she looked at Gaara wide eyed. He just stared at her, confused. "What?"
Akane hit herself in the forehead and sighed. "You are completely clueless, you know that?"
"What are you talking about?"
Instead of answering, Akane stood up and walked to the door. "If you two are expecting to open this door in about an hour or so, and find us making out or something, I'll have to disappoint you – it's not gonna happen."
Gaara stood up staring at her oddly. "Make out?"
"Yeah... apparently, our brothers thought that it would be fun to play matchmakers." Then she turned to the door again. "I suggest you let us out now, waiting will just make it worse."
The next morning, Kankurou and Sasuke weren't capable of getting up, so Gaara and Akane had breakfast together.
"Um, Gaara, is everything alright?"
"Everything is fine. Why do you ask?"
"No reason. Does it have anything to do with what happened last night?"
"I just told you that nothing is wrong."
"So?"
"Why do you insist on it?"
"Because you don't look like everything is alright. I know something is bothering you, so just spill it."
"I have to go." Was all Gaara said before getting up and disappearing in a swirl of sand.
Akane stared at the spot he occupied a moment ago before she stood up herself. "Just when we were starting to get along..."
A whole month has passed since Sasuke's visit, but it felt like ages for Akane. Gaara barely even talked to her and she was just waiting for the day when she'll stop seeing him at all. She kept replaying all the conversations she had with him in her head, hoping to find something that might tell her why he was avoiding her, but so far, she had nothing. Kankurou was away on missions a lot, and if she didn't get a few every now and then, she would probably go insane. Right now, she was on her way to Gaara's office to get a mission. She knocked on the door and went inside.
"Hey Gaara! What's up?" As usual, every time she tried that kind of approach, she ended up hitting an ice cube.
"I don't have time to chat Akane. You have an urgent mission."
"Of course."
"We've received reports of foreign ninja moving close to the border."
"So I'm on border duty?"
"Exactly. You will be in a watch tower on the north for a week, maybe longer."
"Alright."
"You should get ready and leave as soon as possible."
"Sure." With that she turned around and went to the door. She was stopped by Gaara's voice. "Akane."
"Yeah?"
"Be careful."
She turned her head to face him and smiled. "I always am." With that she was gone.
"Yeah, that's what I'm worried about." He sighed turning his attention back to his work trying to get the kunoichi out of his mind.