The night air was warm but the sand upon which Kiku sat was cool to the touch. She ran her hands through the sand before rearranging the flowers that lay on the ground before her.

"I know it's been a long time since I visited you last."

Kiku's voice was quiet.

"A lot has happened since then."

Kiku ran her hand over her headband, a small smile tugging on her lips.

"I'm a kunoichi now...a shocker, I know right? I work for the hospital as a medic-nin. It's really tough sometimes but I love the work. Everyone is so nice and they've been helping me a lot! I've learned a whole lot, and I feel like I have a real purpose now. I understand why you loved your job so much."

"Oh! I hope you like the flowers I brought you. It was the first time I'd seen someone else bring them into Suna. I still have all the ones we planted in my room. I've been taking good care of them. They're getting so big sometimes I have to trim them and I give them to the children at the hospital. It's another talent I must have got from you. I'm a water affinity like you too! Isn't that cool?"

Kiku fidgeted in her spot a little, her smile growing a bit wider.

"Ummm...there was something else I wanted to tell you as well."

She leaned back on the sand, resting beside the stone to her right.

"Gaara-kun is back. He's like how he used to be...and he said we can be friends again. I know a lot of you adults didn't like him, but I'm sure if you met him you'd like him. He just needs to be given a chance. You used to say that about me, remember? Whenever I'd mess something up and mother would get mad. You'd say I just needed to be given a chance...that people would understand me someday."

Kiku stared up into the darkening sky. Old memories flashing through her mind.

"Gaara-kun gave me that chance. He was the first person to really like me for just being me...He's the reason I came this far. I think you would have liked him for that."

Kiku let out a small sigh and turned to look at the stone's carvings.

"I really miss you daddy...I'm sorry I couldn't tell you all this in person. If you were still alive..."

A sudden rush of sadness seemed to wash over her as the realization of what she was doing and what she was saying seemed to finally hit her. She slowly stood up and dusted the sand off of her clothes.

"It's getting late, but I'll see you again soon. I'll bring flowers from our plants next time."

Again, she felt the pang in her chest. She pressed a small hand to the stone and looked away quickly, walking away before the tears made it down her cheeks.

Seven years.

Each step Kiku took felt heavy in her heart and she quickened her pace until she was running. Running away from the grave, running away from the pain quickly overtaking her.

It had been seven years since her father had passed, and yet the pain never seemed to lessen. She just had the urge to keep running, as if somehow it would help her escape her emotions. Her mind seemed to blank and she was suddenly brought back to the feelings she had felt the day she'd run from his funeral. The day that sad little girl had run from reality, as if not aknowleging his death would somehow bring him back to life.

"Why do I keep doing this? Why am I running away?" she wondered, but her legs didn't stop.

Before she'd even realized it she found herself back on that old playground.

Kiku slowed to a stop, her breathing ragged as she bent forward, hands on her knees. She slowly looked around.

It was dark, all but one of the lamps that kept it lit were burnt out. In the flickering glow of a single lamp, Kiku could see the swingset to her left and she carefully walked towards it. Grasping the cool metal chains with her hands, she carefully lowered herself down onto the seat. A light breeze blew by and she closed her eyes to enjoy the feeling as she lowered her head.

"Why do I always end up here?" She asked herself.

In her mind she recalled her father's funeral and the first time she ran to the playground. She recalled the few times she had tried to visit his grave. Each time had ended up the same. She always ended up in the same place, and she honestly couldn't tell why. It wasn't as if it did anything to help her in any way. It was just a reaction her body had to such a stressful situation.

Kiku sat, staring blankly off into the dark distance before tilting her head up to see the nearly full moon above her. Just as always it seemed, she wondered whether her friends were watching the same moon. One name in particular she couldn't help but mutter into the dark as she slowly stood up to balance herself on the old swing, just as she used to in childhood.

"Gaara-kun..."

"Yes, Kiku-chan?"

The sudden sound behind her came as a complete shock to Kiku and she quickly tried to turn around to face the source. The swing moved from beneath her feet as she twisted around and she found herself falling backwards towards the ground. However she soon felt her arms and legs wrapped by thin layers of sand, slowing her fall. She merely fell gently into the arms or the person behind her, who readily helped her sit back on the swing before taking the seat beside her. She couldn't help but feel a sudden calm.

Kiku looked to her side to see Gaara looking back at her. She opened her mouth to ask him what he was doing there but she was cut off before she could make a sound.

"You shouldn't stand on the swings." he said quietly. "You always fall..."

Kiku stared at him, wide eyed for a moment before a small chuckle escaped her lips.

"I like you best when you laugh."

Gaara's voice was so quiet, Kiku couldn't tell if she'd heard him correctly. She looked him over curiously.

"What are you doing here exactly?" She asked, pushing her feet against the ground to gently move her swing. "I would have thought you'd be busy…considering everything that's happened. The Kazekage's funeral is tomorrow, isn't it?"

Gaara nodded and looked up at the sky.

"Yes, it's tomorrow, but Temari and Kankuro handled the arrangements with the council today. It wasn't something I had to be involved in."

Kiku nodded her head slowly. She should have known the council wouldn't have wanted him involved. Despite his current change, Kiku was sure nobody aside from his siblings and herself saw any sort of difference in him. She wondered if he'd even go to the funeral. Most everyone from the village would probably be there. If he showed up there would probably be a lot of negative gossip…but if he didn't show up she was sure the villagers would find some way to twist that as well. He just couldn't win.

Kiku let out a very audible sigh, and a look of sorrow flashed across her face. She couldn't help but wish things would change somehow. After everything he'd already been through, Kiku didn't want to believe it would continue on this way forever.

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted when Gaara spoke up once again.

"It's dark out…you should go home, right? You haven't eaten dinner yet."

Kiku thought for a moment. Right now, there was nobody home waiting for her. She was suspended from work and there was no real reason to go home. Anything that might scare her from being out so late was now irrelevant due to her companion. However she looked to her side and saw her small bag of groceries. She'd almost completely forgotten about it. She wondered how he could tell she hadn't eaten when even she had forgotten. Pushing the thought aside she looked to Gaara.

"Would you like to have dinner with me tonight? It's not much, but we could talk more at my house. I mean…if you're not busy…"

Kiku was half expecting him to turn her down, so when her bag was suddenly lifted by sand and placed on her lap with a slight nod of Gaara's head she was pleasantly surprised. She was up on her feet and her mood suddenly lifted as she ran ahead and waved her hand for him to follow.

As they walked through Suna, Kiku realized just how late it was. While the streets were always bustling in the day they were now empty, save for a few people they passed on their way. Of those few people, their reactions had all been the same. The second they saw Gaara their course of direction would change completely. Either running back in the direction they came or turning down the nearest street corner. They all look terrified and they all ran.

Kiku's hands balled into tight fists as she glared in the direction of these people, but Gaara's expression never changed. He remained as calm as ever and that alone pained Kiku to no end. He'd seen these reactions so many times it seemed as if they didn't even bother him anymore. For once the lights outside of her empty, lonely house seemed like a beacon of rescue from the cruel world outside its walls.

Without thinking Kiku reached for Gaara's hand, and when they reached her home together she felt his fingers entwine with hers as she gently pulled him inside. For just a moment they both seemed completely at peace, and Kiku realized something of herself. The feeling she always longed for when she ran to the playground, the feeling of comfort that she never seemed to get, she felt it now, and she knew that ever since their first meeting, it was him she'd been trying to run to all along.

A/N: Sorry if this chapter isn't that great. .-. I wrote it in tiny pieces at a time because 2 jobs + a family that wants me to clean endlessly to fit their OCDness doesn't make for much writing time. sorry sorry