Part 26 The Sun & The Sky. The Night & The Stars

I closed the door behind me and drew my eyes up to look into the face of the Kazekage and gasped. I had expected strangers eyes for a new Kazekage and was in shock at seeing those cyan eyes,
"What the?" I rubbed my eyes and then pinched myself hard, "Ah fuck that hurt!" I had long nails which had dug in to my skin, "How? Why? When? I am so confused," I stared at him,
"I think we should wrap things up for today," Gaara said totally unaffected, all the council members, Kankuro and Temari filed out. "Please sit down Keitii-chan this will take a lot of explaining." He rubbed his temples wearily, I also registered the new tone of my name,
"I-I thought you were dead,"
"Likewise," he muttered,
"Eh?"
"Well we couldn't find you and we heard that you walked straight in to a sandstorm, where did you go?" he actually seemed curious,
"Well I followed one of the trails and as you know ran in to a sandstorm-" I recounted my time away from Suna to him and when I mentioned Katsou asking me to stay he seemed to stiffen. "And then after the funeral I left for Sunagakure,"
"You seemed to have had an adventure then," I frowned,
"Well what happened to you?"
"From what I can gather the Shukaku was removed which killed me-"
"But you're-"
"Well Konoha ninjas and some from Suna went on a rescue mission, and to cut what I'm sure would have been a thrilling tale short Elder Chiyo used a forbidden jutsu to bring me back in exchange for her own life," he looked out of the window, "People actually needed me and I a have a purpose and mean something to them,"
"Of course they do you're the Kazekage and they wouldn't have appointed you were you not fit for the job, all the people in this village respect you greatly,"
"Hmm, you think so do you," I knew it was a rhetorical question. His eyes were fixed on mine and mine on his, he stood up and leaned on a windowsill, "This village has changed and I hope for the better," was that a smile I saw creasing the corners of his lips? I got up and moved towards the window too.
"I'm sure all the villages have and some more than others nearly all for the better, mind you," he turned his head to look at me giving me his undivided attention, "The ones that failed were run by nutters anyway from what I heard,"
"Do you think I am a nutter then," Gaara said unflinchingly,
"Nope, the nutters are the ones like the Akatsuki, S-ranks and my father," I spoke the last word through gritted teeth.
"Well thank you Keitii-chan and may I say that I hated my father too after several assassination attempts,"
"Makes my excuse for hating my father pretty feeble," I smiled weakly,
"Well I only know half the story from what I heard on the roof so I could not comment," wow he remembered that and it seemed an age ago since it took place although it wasn't long ago. A frown crease appeared on his forehead, "You know so much about me yet I know very little about you,"
"Ha, you don't want to know about me and my life,"
"Are you sure about that?" I cocked my head to one side, "Well I want to hear about it," he returned to his high-backed chair.

"Well I have lived in Hoshikage manor ever since I was born with my parents and brother Sachiyo who was one year older than me," I took a deep breath as I'd felt a stab of pain at his name, "My village was created around a chakra filled star and over the years we have trained with it and also used the other jutsus of the other villages. But the people who trained with the star became less and less, my father who always wanted the village to be strong as it is relatively small in comparison to Suna or Konoha. He forced my brother and I to train with the star but because of using the stars chakra it envitably shorten your life and often at times I'd collapse from training. When I would show weakness or do anything wrong my father would beat me, sometimes till I could not stand and needed medical attention he also did this to Sachiyo who covered a lot for me." I looked out the window for a second, "When I was really young we found Makaiko on the outskirts of Hoshigakure but she left when I was about 7. I passed through the academy and chunin exams with ease. I was put into Team 9 with Amaterasu, Katsou and Raiden-sensei, I even had my own little fan club which by the way is reeeeeeeally annoying. I went out most nights and always drank because it kind of dimmed the thought of my father from my mind for a while so I could be happy. And then the night before the attack from Iwagakure my father broke Sachiyo's leg in one of his rages and the next day I was in Sachiyo's room when they attacked and Sachiyo hid me under the floorboards and I saw the whole thing and well I couldn't stay with my father so I searched for Makaiko then came here which is where my brother and I were planning to go." And that's how Gaara died of boredom and I killed myself and that was the end of that story dusts hands. Well no not really.

"You're a very different person to say the least,"
"Well what's the point in being ordinary I mean that is boring," now a definite little smile was on his face, so he should that phrase was worth an Oscar!
"So what do you think to the Akatsuki after spending sometime with them?"
"Well the whole two of them and Makaiko," I laughed, "Deidara is the most up himself little well, he's hardly little okay 6ft twat I have ever met and kills for the fun of it, oh yeah and he's joined the ever growing member list of the femi-man club. And well Tobi is more hyperactive than a kid on crack who raided a sweet shop, he also doesn't have two brain cells to rub together. And Makaiko, I don't think I can trust oh yeah and her brother who appeared out of the blue is a bisexual perverted git, so all in all generally lovely people," the last bit practically drowning itself in sarcasm.
"So not just the regular emotionless killers then, well I am glad you didn't decide to join them at any rate,"
"Me, join them? I'd rather listen to Kankuro singing in the shower for an eternity,"
"They must be bad in that case."

I sat back in to the chair, "I want to thank you Keitii-chan for saying those things to Katsou because not many people have that view when they first meet the Shukaku host,"
"You shouldn't judge the person before you get to know them, and Katsou he was just upset and angry because he's always been there in my life, also I suspect jealousy was a large part to play,"
"I sensed something from him towards you but how come then you did not return it?" I sighed deeply,
"Love is a funny old game really, I used to love him but then I didn't it was just sort of a little crush,"
"So love for someone can be brief and not ever lasting?"
"No but you know when he or she is the one," why did he have to ask me these things? Mind you he had never really known true love before so it was natural curiosity,
"How?" he frowned saying it,
"It's the feeling you get when you miss a step going down the stairs and every time you think about that person you get the feeling, well it's more complicated than taming any tailed beast,"
"Someone once said to me that wounds of the heart can sometimes never be healed,"
"The worst feeling in the world is giving all the love you have and knowing it will never be returned," I nodded as I spoke and was it just me or was he getting closer, the room getting warmer and his stare more intense?

A long silence followed, "If there is no more to be said then I shall return to a room that has long awaited my return," I got up and walked towards the door but as soon as I put my hand on the cold handle another hand was on top of mine. I turned around slowly my heart beating like the wings of a humming bird then I lifted my head up to look in to his eyes. We were so close together I could feel the heat from his body and the far away breath on my face.
"My heart is healed," he whispered in a low voice and it was barley audible.

The light that fell on her face now revealed her stunning beauty to me, I leaned in closer.

He drew closer to me the light throwing is handsome features in to a new light that I hadn't seen before.

And in that moment there...
And in that moment there...

I realised
I realised

I loved her
I loved him.

The sun can have the sky and it wouldn't matter.
The night can have its stars and I wouldn't care.
Tomorrow can be majestic yet remain empty,
for it simply wouldn't matter without you there.