Here it is, the part 2. Hope it was worth waiting for :)
Story image by tariah23 . deviantart . com
I have her permission to use it.
No betareading.
© "Naruto" is created and copyrighted by Kishimoto Masashi, and owned by Shueisha Publishing Co., Ltd. and Studio Pierrot.
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Alive And Victorious
Chapter 19. Like none other (part 2)
"Matsuri?" Gaara said, and the girl raised her head, looking at him. Her eyes glittered like the two perfect black diamonds, and the redhead's thoughts were momentarily derailed, as he marvelled at the enchanting sight.
"Yes, Gaara?" she prompted, and he blinked, before he remembered what he previously wanted to say.
"I love you," he uttered quietly, and to his astonishment she immediately saddened. She gazed away with the disheartened expression, sighing heavily.
"I'm going to follow you," she admitted bluntly, and he didn't realize at first what she had meant. After he did, he held his breath as he propped himself on his elbow, eyeing his girlfriend carefully.
"Matsuri, you can't," he finally said, his tone soft, on the verge of plea. He knew chastising her wouldn't be of any help. It would only strengthen her resolve. He had to approach the subject in a different way. "You can't do this to me."
The kunoichi rolled on her back and hid her face in her hands.
"Gaara, I'm sorry," she muttered. "I really am but—"
He grasped her forearm and pulled her hand back from her face, until she glanced at him.
"You need to know I'm not going to the war as the ordinary shinobi," he said, and Matsuri frowned.
"Sure you're not," she commented with a shrug. "You're the Kazekage."
"Actually, there's more to it than that..." he began hesitantly, since he was about to give away the information only a few people in Sunagakure were aware of till now. His girlfriend gazed at him curiously, as she raised her head, apparently waiting for the continuation. "I was nominated Regimental Commander of the Allied Shinobi Forces," he admitted, and Matsuri's eyes widened with disbelief. She sat up, alerted, but then she snorted quietly and relaxed.
"You're taking me in," she accused, laying on her side, face to face with him. "Aren't you...?" she added uncertainly when he didn't speak. "You have never fought in the war before..."
"I suppose the Tsuchikage had a hand in it," Gaara explained. However, it was not much of an explanation to Matsuri.
"The Tsuchikage?" the girl was more and more surprised. "Why would he—?"
"Regardless of the reasons, the fact remains," the redhead stated firmly. "I can't disappoint the Alliance. I will not disappoint the Alliance. I will not fail... that is, if you let me."
The girl let out the long breath she was holding, still not looking convinced.
"Please, Matsuri," Gaara pleaded quietly. "Stay here. Be safe. Please. For me."
Matsuri rolled to her back again and turned her head away to hide the tears. Of course, she couldn't refuse such request. Not when it was uttered in this voice. In this tone. Yet still, the prospect of separation hurt her more than she could explain.
The mattress bent slightly when the redhead leant over her and brought his lips to her eyelashes, kissing the tears away. Matsuri simply lay motionless, her eyes closed as he gently brushed against her eyelids with his mouth.
"Don't cry..." he whispered, almost too quietly, and she locked her arms around his neck with one swift motion, sniffling against his ear.
"Gaara, I'm afraid you'll die," she wept openly. "I'm so afraid..."
"You won't get rid of me so easily," he said in a hushed tone, and she clasped him tightly in the futile attempt to release some of her anxiety and sadness.
"Do you really think the Alliance will win this war?" she inquired after a few minutes of a desperate hugging, and pushed him away a little so she could look into his eyes.
Gaara moved back completely and sat up, his expression serious, as he tried to choose to right words.
"Yes, I think we can win," he answered at last. "If we can overcome the long-standing prejudices and look past the differences, we can form the strongest army in the world."
"Strong enough to defeat Akatsuki?"
The redhead stroked Matsuri's hair and drew a few strands away from her face, giving her a faint, reassuring smile.
"No one can answer that question," he said. "All the hidden villages have their secret weapons and extremely powerful techniques but they only use them as a last resort. For that reason, we can't even imagine the power of all those weapons and techniques combined. Moreover, I believe we have something worth fighting for, and they don't. That's why we're actually stronger."
The kunoichi rolled to her side in silence and stared into space, apparently musing over his words.
"We have something worth fighting for..." she echoed slowly, and rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "And what this would be?"
Gaara didn't know if Matsuri couldn't actually comprehend that or she was just trying him.
"We want to protect what we love and build a better future together," he explained, and she nodded absent-mindedly. He waited for any further comment but Matsuri still seemed to ponder over what he had said.
"It's all good and well," she suddenly spoke, leaving his previous words unaddressed, "but I would feel much better if I could fight instead of sitting around in the village and doing nothing."
"But you won't be just sitting around and doing nothing," he argued. "The fighting troops in the village have to protect the civilians and the village itself in case Akatsuki attempted to destroy our homes. The medical troop will look after the wounded brought from the battlefield. And finally, all of you need to be prepared to bury the dead. It might be not as glorious as fighting, but it's very important nonetheless."
The girl sat up quickly and glanced at him with an obvious irritation.
"You think that's the glory I'm after?" she fumed. "All I want is - how did you put it? - we want to protect what we love, right? And I want to protect the ones I love! To protect you!"
"I know you're not after the glory," Gaara said calmly. "And I want to protect you, too."
Resigned, Matsuri shook her head.
"You always have to have the last word, don't you?" she sighed.
"I do," he agreed since it would be pointless to deny her statement at the moment. Matsuri was obviously too disappointed with his decision to realize she wasn't fair. "I am the Kazekage, after all."
That earned him a glare from her.
"Convenient, isn't it?" she snarled, her fists clenching.
"Yes, it helps in many ways," he said nonchalantly. "How did Kankurou put it? Women are always weak at the knees for the elite—" He wasn't allowed to finish the sentence.
It was as if he was hit with the exploding tag. Matsuri growled lowly, her cheeks reddening threateningly, as the fury consumed her like the fire burning the paper. With the speed increased many times by anger, she grabbed the pillow and smashed it right into the red, annoying head of the most arrogant Kazekage Sunagakure had ever had.
"You!" she yelled, each word emphasized by the whacking sound when the pillow landed on the surprised, wide-eyed face. "You're the snottiest, the most obnoxious—"
Obnoxious or not, the Kazekage's honed reflexes were still excellent. Once he recovered from shock, he instantly caught his girlfriend's wrists, causing her to gasp in surprise and, of course, irritation.
"Matsuri, everyone will hear you," Gaara remarked mildly, while the girl fought his iron grip.
"I can't believe you're so tiny yet so strong!" she grumbled, and the vein in his temple immediately throbbed.
Tiny? Did she just call him tiny?
"You're tiny like a girl!" she teased, grinning triumphantly at his darkening expression, still mad at how he threw her words back at her in that manner. "Cool, elite, tiny Kazekage!"
The next moment, she lay on her back, pinned to the sheets, as Gaara hovered over her, scowling.
"Call it off," he drawled, and she tried to wrench out from his grasp, to no avail. After a few futile attempts, she gave up, swearing under her breath.
"I can't," she informed him conversationally, "because it's true."
At that, his eyes narrowed dangerously, conveying the clear message; she would better do what she was told or she would regret it. Matsuri didn't particularly care since she knew he would do no harm to her, yet still that threatening, furious look of his was not something one could easily ignore. There was something in the way he stared; the deceitful calmness of his features, the ominous silence, and the unblinking glare, were much more terrifying than throwing a noisy tantrum, and the girl felt her resolution slowly breaking as he continued staring, like a snake watching his prey.
"Okay," she uttered slowly after clearing her throat. "I'm sorry I called you quiet, cool, strong, hot, elite... and tiny. I'm calling it off. All of it." She added the last bit since she simply couldn't resist taking even the smallest revenge.
Gaara's expression gradually turned confused, and he released his prisoner, shifting away, even if he found their previous position quite tantalizing.
"What do you mean?" he inquired, furrowing and trying to ignore the certain part of his body slowly coming back to life. "I've never said anything like that."
"I know you haven't," Matsuri said with a huff. "I said I called you that but now I'm calling it off."
The redhead waited in silence till the sentence she had said earlier replayed in his head.
"I can't honestly say that I know what you're talking about," he admitted at last. "I only repeated Kankurou's words—"
"Oh, come on, Gaara!" the brunette growled. "Are you pretending or are you actually that dumb?"
He couldn't say her assumptions were helpful.
"I'm not sure myself," he scathed, and Matsuri frowned, nonplussed.
"Don't you really remember?" she asked uncertainly. "I thought you were shoving my words back at my face, and I got angry..."
"I wasn't shoving your words back at your face since I didn't know you have ever uttered them in the first place," he explained, and the girl glanced at him with disbelief.
"How is that possible?" she wondered aloud. "I was so close I could touch you... I asked you if you were alright, and you nodded. How come you didn't hear what I have said a few minutes later?"
The redhead gaped at her, as her every word made it all less and less clear. Matsuri leant forward slightly, looking into his eyes intently, before she drew back, astounded.
"It was after your, um, revival," she clarified. "I thought you were teasing me about what I had said then. Or rather, cruelly making fun of it. I didn't like it."
"You said something then?" he inquired, making sure he actually understood. "Wait... What did you exactly say?"
The girl looked away, exasperated and disconcerted, as the blush creeped up her cheeks.
"It's of no great importance, now," she uttered in an angry murmur. "Besides, I am not particularly fond of recalling those moments."
To be honest, he wasn't particularly fond of it, either, even if learning that people of the village actually grew to appreciate him was rather inspiring experience. But now, he strained his mind to recall the vague memory in details, and it actually seemed Matsuri had said something then; something he couldn't quite grasp, even if he could clearly distinguish her rejoicing voice. Lost in his thoughts, Gaara remembered what his girlfriend said several minutes ago, when he told her to call off the name she had called him. I'm sorry I called you quiet, cool, strong, hot, elite and... tiny. Those were her exact words, and suddenly all of it made sense, clicking into place. He glimpsed at Matsuri, who didn't look particularly comfortable nor happy, and couldn't help but wonder if she really thought those of him. If she did, it meant she must have felt some kind of attraction to him for a longer time than he had previously thought.
"Don't make such face," Matsuri growled. "I told you I'm calling it off. You don't deserve any compliments. Not after pushing me away."
Another riddle. He was getting tired of it.
"Matsuri," he spoke firmly. "When I was brought back to life, I didn't know what was going on with me let alone around me. My memory was blurred, and still is. So please, stop speaking in riddles and tell me what happened."
The kunoichi's scrutiny was short but thorough.
"Don't you remember anything?" she asked in demanding voice.
"Only in parts. I remember when you stood in front of me and asked if I was alright. I remember Kankurou's comment about women going weak at their knees for cool, elite types. I remember when he said Elder Chiyo was dead—"
"What about pushing me away?" Matsuri interrupted, avoiding his eyes as if she wanted to hide an emotion. "It was rather mortifying, you know."
"I vaguely recall that someone tried supporting me. I didn't know who that was but I was sure it was a girl. For that, I recoiled," he admitted, and Matsuri blinked. Frowning, she glowered at him, quite unable to believe what she was hearing.
"You recoiled because you didn't want a support from a girl?" she asked, and he winced inwardly.
"Yes, and I can hardly understand why it bothers you so much," he answered dryly.
"Apart from being a sexist, I thought you did it because it was me," Matsuri snarled, rising to her knees and putting her hand on her hip, her other hand thrusting in his direction, her accusatory index finger pointing straight at him. Gaara tried to keep his gaze off her body but it was rather difficult, since her breasts were just in front of his eyes.
"I'm not a sexist," he muttered, attempting to focus on the topic.
"Aren't you?" she drawled sarcastically, fortunately remaining ignorant to what was going on with him. "But you just admitted you didn't want a support from a girl!"
Her breasts heaving up and down in a steady pace, Matsuri waited for an answer and Gaara found it too hard to give any. Speechless, he returned his gaze to his girlfriend's face, but it didn't take him long to find himself staring at her naked chest again.
"Gaara," Matsuri chided, "We're talking!"
Well, maybe she was. He definitely wasn't, since fighting the temptation kept him completely busy at the moment. Matsuri realized that, apparently, since she slowly lowered herself, sitting down on her heels and tugging at the sheet in an attempt to cover herself, as the darkening blush reached the roots of her hair.
"Don't," he asked softly, pulling her hand away. "I want to look at you."
The girl sat stiff, her eyes downcast.
"But we were just talking..." she protested weakly, and he only prayed she wouldn't look at the lower part of his body right now, since during the last few minutes he grew completely ready for the further action. He bent his knees, trying to hide the unstoppable bodily reaction, and only then he spoke.
"Actually, I don't think I can focus on the conversation any longer," he admitted, devouring her with his eyes and in the same time trying to maintain his usual calmness. "Can I... Can I touch you?"
Baffled, Matsuri raised her widened eyes at him, clasping her hands nervously before she settled them on her lap. Her parted lips quivered lightly, as if she wanted to speak but couldn't find the right words. He reached for her hand, entwining her fingers with his; feeling the jouhyou-earned calluses on her delicate skin, he slowly stroked the back of her palm with his thumb. Soon, he brought her hand to his mouth, briefly closing his eyes as he kissed the tips of her fingers. Then he leant forward a bit, turning her palm so he could press his lips against its inside. Matsuri gasped almost inaudibly, pressing her other hand against her chest, and he leered at her from under his eyelashes, his lips still working sensually over her skin. The girl looked away slowly, and swallowed nervously, her heart hammering wildly against her ribs. She remembered they were talking just a minute ago, but she didn't know any longer what the issue was. Then the mattress gave in a little under Gaara's weight and her flustered gaze returned to him, only to find out that he knelt down in front of her, revealing the unmistakable proof of his roaring desire.
Her response was another gasp, more distinctive this time, when he released her hand, leaning forward and settling his arms against the mattress by her sides. Matsuri raised her hand a bit as if trying to stop him but he ignored it completely, drawing near until his face was only a few inches away from hers. The girl leant back a little, the position quite uncomfortable since she was still sitting on her heels, and tried to speak, but the words seemed to die in her throat even before she would utter them. Gaara's gaze dropped at her parted, trembling lips, and he stared at them with unconcealed fascination, before he would finally kiss them. Matsuri's stomach flipped at the familiar sensation of his tongue running lightly over her mouth, gently demanding the entrance, which she unintentionally gave him, sucking in the sharp, surprised breath when she felt his fingers resting against her hip. The redhead purred with delight, sighing hotly into her mouth and gliding his hand down her leg until he could grasp beneath her knee, wordlessly insisting that she would change the position. When she didn't move, he broke the kiss and put his hand against her sternum, pushing her slowly, but firmly onto the mattress. Eventually, Matsuri gave in and lay on her back, her anxious onyx orbs watching him as he crawled on top of her.
"You're trembling again," he observed in a low murmur. "From what I've learnt, people tremble when they are impatient to get something they want very badly..."
Shock didn't even begin to describe Matsuri's reaction. With her jaw dropped, she gaped at him, her mind blank as the sentence sank in. People tremble when they are impatient to get something they want very badly... Was he implying what she thought he was implying?
"People also tremble when they are afraid," she informed him in a faint voice.
"Are you afraid, Matsuri?" he inquired with the slightest edge of concern in his voice, and she gulped when he leisurely settled one of his legs in between hers.
"I told you that I am," she whispered, her heart skipping a beat when his other leg followed. "And you?"
"I don't know anymore," he purred, as his face descended upon hers to capture her lips in a kiss. "You make me forget all the fear..."
And she did. Till that moment, he had never thought before he was able to let go completely in someone else's presence. Other people, maybe except for Naruto, made him constantly wary, and he expected rejection at any time.
Always.
It was as if his tears of despair after Yashamaru's betrayal soaked through him, and stayed at the bottom of his soul, the warning sign for him if he was to forget the devastation someday and indulge in trusting others. He didn't know any longer if it was really him or if it was a mental defence he had to develop not to go truly insane. Not that it meant anything, now; he wouldn't be able to get rid of it anymore. He had to quietly accept there would always be a wall between him and others, until someone would come into his life who would be able to make the sand fall away, grain by grain...
The kiss elicited the quiet moan from Matsuri, and the redhead raised his head, still maintaining the pressure of his weight upon his arms and knees.
"Are you afraid of me, Matsuri?" he inquired in a hoarse whisper, and she encircled his neck with her arms, shaking her head ever so slightly.
"Not you, Gaara..." she breathed, her gaze earnest when she looked straight into his eyes.
"Then what?"
"The unknown..."
The unknown. Yes, he understood that. He was a mystery to her just as much as she was a mystery to him.
The enticing, mesmerizing mystery.
Nuzzling at the side of her neck to catch her enthralling scent, he finally settled his weight flush against her body, and placed his lips against Matsuri's pulse, sucking very lightly so he wouldn't leave a mark. Instinctively, the girl entangled her fingers into his hair, her breath suddenly held when he moved down her neck, kissing and licking continuously as if he wanted to taste every inch of her skin. He didn't stop until his face hovered over one of her breasts, and she bit her lower lip when he brushed his lips against her nipple. Thrilled and confused, she briefly wondered if he hadn't cross the line, but all her doubts were promptly forgotten when the warm, wet sensation of his tongue caressing the small nub electrified her to the point where she could only make the soft, little noises of rapidly increasing pleasure.
Gaara took his time to explore many possibilities of teasing his girlfriend while using his lips, tongue and teeth, before he decided to switch his attention to other areas. Kissing Matsuri's stomach, he was rewarded with a loud gasp, followed by some unintelligent mumbling. He tried to ignore it but what he was trying to do apparently was too much for Matsuri, because she lifted her torso, propping herself on her elbows, and scowled at him, her thighs clenching tightly in protest.
"Gaara!" she rebuked but the effect was lost since she was panting and her voice was breaking. "What do you think you're doing?"
The redhead didn't know how to reply to her question. Actually, he knew pretty well what he was doing, and he supposed she knew it as well.
"You want me to stop?" he inquired, wondering why kissing her abdomen would be right but applying the same caress to the spot between her legs, located only several inches away, would be wrong.
"Yes!" she breathed quite angrily, watching how the disappointment slowly tinted his expression. He looked slightly baffled by her refusal but giving up was obviously the foreign concept to him.
"But why?" he asked, sliding down a bit.
Matsuri still tried to clench her thighs but it was rather difficult since he was still positioned in between them.
"Just because," she growled, sitting up and giving his shoulders a hard shove.
"Tell me why," he demanded, gripping her knees and refusing to let go.
"What the—!" she exclaimed, dismayed. "Is this how you handle girls? If you can't get what you want, you're taking it by force?"
The slight blush dusted over his cheeks at her words, and he released her immediately, since he realized that he actually hated being denied anything he thought that should be his.
"I'm sorry," he muttered, avoiding her eyes. Matsuri didn't reply, breathing heavily, but she considerably relaxed.
"And you should be," she admonished in a lighter tone. "What has got into you?"
Of course, he couldn't explain that. Not to her.
"I'm sorry," he repeated. "I won't try it again."
Matsuri cast a long glance at him, her lips pursed in a way that announced she was deliberating over something.
"Let me do it first, okay?" she asked a bit too lightly to sound natural. Shocked, Gaara stared at her with his eyes slightly widened. When she leant forward a bit, he panicked and grabbed her shoulders.
"Wait, Matsuri," he stuttered, and she flickered a glimpse at him.
"What is it?" she asked sweetly. "You have a problem with that?"
Damn, she could be so wicked sometimes.
"Just forget it," he hissed, gritting his teeth. "I said I won't try it again."
Hearing that, Matsuri was relieved but she was also upset. Gaara's irritation was apparent, and it didn't seem to subside, as if he still believed she didn't have the right to refuse any of his wishes. It was not the nicest thing to realize, and she bit her lip slightly, glancing at her boyfriend uncertainly.
"Gaara, it's not fair," she said quietly. "You can't always get what you want—"
"I know!" he spat angrily, causing her to flinch. Matsuri raised her hand in a response, and pointed at his forehead.
"You know it here," she said, and lowered her arm, "but you refuse it here," she added, her finger brushing his chest like a feather before she drew back quickly. Gaara glared at her briefly in silence, and she couldn't suppress a sigh, her eyes downcast.
"I don't know if you feel like it but I still want to continue," she admitted in a tiny voice, her cheeks burning madly. She would never credit herself with so much courage. Of course, she knew she wasn't a coward, but this was a very specific kind of courage, to speak her mind on what was very embarrassing to her and made her feel extremely vulnerable.
The redhead still didn't move nor spoke, what made her even more nervous when she shifted herself to sit next to him. Leaning towards him, she flickered her eyes at him, and she found out he was looking at her; his pale, mysterious orbs so close that she would drown in them if she wouldn't be careful. Flustered, Matsuri blinked a few times and averted her gaze swiftly, only to get the displeased murmur from him.
"Don't," he insisted, touching her cheek. "I want to see your eyes."
So her gaze returned to his, and stayed that way, while he pushed her gently onto the mattress and hovered over her, waiting for her to spread her legs a bit wider so he could position himself in between them. After that, he froze motionless, his eyes seeking reassurance from her. Matsuri nodded weakly, answering to his mute request, and braced herself up for the pain, when Gaara's hand sneaked down, followed by his gaze. Hissing almost inaudibly, the kunoichi screwed her eyes shut and winced slightly, clawing at his forearms when the strangest sensation she had ever experienced hit her.
As it turned out, it was not about pain at all; at least not all of it. She had been through more pain before, and she could easily stand it. It was about the completely foreign feeling elicited by the intrusion; the feeling of being breached, vulnerable and overwhelmed in a way that reached deeper one could ever imagine. Gaara was in her, and not only literally. In the very moment he had entered her, he had just become a part of her and she knew she would never be able to erase him from her soul, at least not until someone administered her with some advanced Sennō Sōsa no Jutsu.
"Gaara..." she breathed, when he started pulling back. "Wait..."
The redhead barely registered her words, lost in the sea of the unfamiliar sensations, too. Matsuri apparently wanted him not to move so she could slowly adjust to him, but, unfortunately, he wasn't able to stop. He was afraid that he wouldn't be able to stop even if the ceiling started collapsing on him. Plunging into the embrace of the hot delicious wetness felt like falling into the abyss with nothing to save him from the fall, and he realized he was constantly gasping for air, his every breath laboured and almost desperate. Hardly aware of the trembling presence of another human being under him, he closed his eyes and shivered when his carefully built defences began to crumble, and all he could do was calling out his girlfriend's name in a shaking voice.
Matsuri flickered her eyes open, shifting her palms up Gaara's arms and gripping his shoulders in an attempt to make him slow down.
"Gaara..." she whined quietly, and his gaze immediately sought hers. The eye contact was thrilling, and also terrifying, making both of the young lovers gasp in shock, when they instantly experienced the magic of touching each other's soul with only looking into each other's eyes.
"M-Matsuri..." the redhead moaned, hiding his face in Matsuri's shoulder, while she dug her nails into his skin a little, sobbing without tears along with the rhythm of thrusts he was sinking into her. The initial pain began to fade, or maybe she had just grew accustomed to it; she didn't quite know. In its place, the new, exotic sensation began to arise, but she didn't have time to explore it. Without any warning, the powerful tremor ran down Gaara's body, followed by the loud groan, and he collapsed onto her, his hot pants almost burning the sensitive skin below her collar-bone. Instictively, Matsuri locked him in her arms, the wild beating of her heart slowly beginning to calm down, as her fingers played absent-mindedly with his red locks. Gaara listened to her heartbeat with his eyes closed, slowly recovering from one of the most emotionally exhausting experiences he had ever had, before he would finally raise his head and sought Matsuri's eyes to find out if everything was alright with her.
The girl wasn't looking at him but she spoke immediately.
"It will be dawn soon."
"Yes," he said slowly, and watched her for several minutes, until she looked at him in silence. Their eyes met but neither of them uttered a word since there were no words in this world to express the love and gratitude they felt. Eventually, Gaara pushed himself from the mattress and shifted aside to sit up next to Matsuri, glancing at her graceful frame for the last time before he would go to the war. She mumbled something about having to go to the bathroom, and when she disappeared behind the door, he took a towel and dipped it in the water, cleaning himself carefully before he would put his clothes on. He was just done with his pants and net shirt when Matsuri left the bathroom, and she gasped quietly at the sight. Her bare feet didn't make any noise as she approached him swiftly and clung to him, as if in the last desperate attempt to stop him.
"I have to go," he whispered quietly, hugging her tightly and nuzzling at the crown of her head.
"I know," Matsuri sniffled, and wiped her eyes quickly, angrily. Gaara released her and reached for his coat, and she sighed, taking a few steps back, her eyes briefly flickering at the sand resting quietly on the floor, even if it was coiling and swishing wildly not so long ago. Sighing again, she put her nightshirt on and faced her boyfriend, who was almost done with his attire. The redhead waved his hand and the sand flew obediently to him, the yellow and ochre ribbons intertwining with straps until the gourd was reshaped in its place.
Matsuri tripped towards the door and waited for Gaara to join. The couple hugged each other tenderly before they shared the goodbye kiss.
"Don't say goodbye," Matsuri whispered, pressing her trembling hands against the nape of Gaara's neck. "You will come back to me, right? Please, Gaara... Come back to me..."
"I will," he whispered back, since at the moment he really believed that he would. Taking in her enchanting scent, he lowered his head and brushed against her ear with his lips. "Alive and victorious."
The end of chapter 19 part 2.
The next chapter: Alive and victorious
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Sennō Sōsa no Jutsu - lit. Memory-Concealing Manipulative Sand Technique, Sasori's technique created for the purpose of making sleeper agents