And so it begins...

I stood patiently just outside of the arena, waiting for Gaara and his posy to show up. I was sincerely pissed. His little antics had cost me the match, possibly my title as a chuunin. He had no right. No right whatsoever and he was going to get an earful about it.

"Oh, Nari!" Temari exclaimed, coming around the corner first. "I thought you would've headed to the hospital or…" She saw the seething anger in my eyes. She nodded, grabbed me by the collar, and towed me to the side so that her two brothers and their guards could pass.

"Don't you dare try to stop me," I spat. Temari frowned and put her hands on either side of my face. She looked like she had some urgent message to get across but she couldn't figure out the words to do it. Finally, she let go of me and sighed.

"Nari, I want you to keep a level-head about it, okay?"

"Did you see what he did to me?" I practically shouted. "Not only did he crush my wrists but he cost me the match, Temari! Don't you think I have the right to be angry with him right now?" She pursed her lips. "He can't keep doing this. He doesn't own me. He can't keep acting like he owns me. It's not right! It's not… It's not fair," I almost whined, calming down and feeling tears well up behind my eyes. "I'm his equal. Not his pet." I let out a shaky breath and put a hand to my forehead.

"I know, Nari. I know. Look, just let me and Kankuro handle this one. Okay? We're not going to let him get away with this. Trust me… just this once." I frowned but nodded, unable to get words pass the knot forming in my throat. It wasn't the physical pain that had incapacitated me during the match, nor what was rendering my voice box useless now. It was the emotional agony. I mean, why would he…?

Wait a second. Did I just say emotional agony? It's not… It is. It's totally emotional. This is hurting my heart far more than it's hurting my brain or my wrists. I let a frustrated yell and punched at the nearby wall, putting cracks into it. No, it's alright, Nari, I told myself. You just need to calm down. Let's go check on Dai and Sadao. They'll make a good distraction. Both had been put into the hospital for recovery after their match.

The woman at the desk was more than happy to show me to their joint room. Sadao's head popped up in joy and surprise when I walked in. Dai just glared at me. He was upset about me forfeiting the match. He didn't understand why I had done it, until her got a look at my hands. "What happened to you?" he demanded. I glanced down at the now dark red figures. They hung limply at my side, still in a lot of pain. My punching a wall hadn't helped.

"My wrists got crushed during my match with Rock Lee. That's why I had to forfeit. I could barely feel my fingers anymore. They're better now. They'll heal."

"Why don't you have a nurse check them out?" Sadao asked, genuinely concerned, unlike his brother.

"Because I'm also an extremely fast healer on top of being a mind reader. I have a lot of chakra so my cells regenerate quickly. Give me a day or two and they'll be good as new. I promise." Sadao just laughed. I pulled up a chair in between the two beds and chatted with the brothers. I had a great time with them, but finally I was forced to leave. They needed their rest and I was a distraction. I grudgingly obliged to the nurse's pleas.

I wasn't sure what to do with myself afterwards. I wasn't as angry anymore, but I was still confused about the strange pain in my chest. Why had Gaara's actions affected me so deeply? It was kind of like when I lost Miu, but different. It was almost as though he had betrayed me. But how could that be possible? It's not like I thought he wouldn't do something of the sort. He had done it before, after all. Still, it hurt. That's when I caught wind of a conversation not so far away.

"You can't just do things like that, Gaara. Especially not to Nari!" Temari's voice scolded her youngest sibling. "I know you care about her and I know you want her to care for you back. That's exactly why something like today can't happen again. You push her away when you do things like that."

"Gaara, I know you've been putting in an effort to understand these new emotions, but you have to handle these things better. Nari, despite outward appearance, is a sensitive girl. It's too easy to hurt her. You have to avoid doing that," Kankuro added in. I realized they were heading directly towards me. I didn't see any inconspicuous form of escape so I decided to sit against the wall and hope they didn't notice me in the moonlight.

"Your council is appreciated but not necessary," Gaara said as monotonously as ever. I heard both siblings sigh and agree that their efforts were pointless. They took off before they even reached me. So much for not letting him get away with it, I thought hotly, my earlier irritation returning.

"Well, my council is probably not going to be appreciated but it sure is necessary," I began, stepping out of the shadows. Gaara paused. He mimicked my stance, crossing his arms as well.

"Good evening, Nari," he greeted me calmly.

"Do not 'good evening' me," I hissed. "You had no right to interfere with my fight. You cost me the match, possibly my title as chuunin and my chance to become jounin. You, unfairly, pushed Rock Lee to win and, yet again, marked me as some toy you can play with whenever it amuses you!" We were in an isolated part of town so I had no fear of interrupting someone's sleep with raised voices. I held my hands up to him. "Take them off," I ordered.

"I won't."

"You will." He shook his head. "Gaara, you don't own me. I'm not a ninja of your village, I'm not your pet, and I'm not your girlfriend. I'm not even your friend. Now take this damnable cuffs off right now." For an instance, I though hurt crossed his features. It was just a flash though and I was sure I had imagined it. That's when all four cuffs crushed my wrists and ankles instantaneously. I collapsed to the ground, a choked cry escaping my mouth. A redheaded figure knelt down beside me and lifted my chin with his fingers. "Why?" I asked, tears streaking down my face.

"I – I don't know," he stuttered, eyes sincerely confused. I glanced up at the moon. It was full. I sighed inwardly; it had been the wrong night to confront him. All of a sudden, I felt myself being lifted from the ground. A bed of sand suspended me in the air. Gaara leapt to the rooftops and took me to his hotel room. He laid me on his bed and I was thankful for the fact that he had the room to himself.

Silence was my only solace as I suffered through the grueling process of resetting each bone fragment one by one with my own chakra. I had to clench my teeth through it all, just barely remaining coherent. Only the renewed instant of betrayal kept me from succumbing to my unconsciousness. "I'm sorry," a soft voice said when I finally managed to sit up. My wrists were still destroyed but I had focused on concentrating my chakra to my ankles so they'd heal and I could leave.

I wanted to say so many things. I wanted to lash out at him again, to attack him, to make him feel the same anguish I did. Only, I couldn't. I knew things just weren't the same for the one-tailed jinchuriki. "It's okay," I finally forgave him. He turned to look at me. I felt the weight of his ice blue gaze but I didn't squirm beneath it.

"Your hands are still injured. You should let them heal."

"They've healed long enough, thanks." I tried slipping past him to the window but he caught my arm. "Gaara, let go of me."

"You should let them heal," he repeated. I clamped my mouth shut and turned away.

"As it pleases you, Lord Kazekage," I spat, stepping away from the window and sitting on the bed, arms crossed. He studied my features but said nothing. "Is there a problem?" I snapped, perhaps a little too harshly.

"I don't like it when you call me that," he admitted. I was taken aback. He doesn't like me calling him Lord Kazekage? What?

"Why not?" I inquired. He just shook his head. I must've been really bi-polar because I wasn't angry anymore. In fact, I was starting to regret the entire night. I could've handled the situation better. I knew that. "I'm sorry, Gaara," I whispered. A confused look crossed his face. "For yelling at you and saying I wasn't your friend. I mean, I guess I'm kind of not but… I want to be." He stood up from leaning on the wall and walked over to me.

"I prefer to have a pet." I sighed and closed my eyes. I had to stay calm. I couldn't get mad at him. I felt him pick up my hands and turn them over. He loosened the cuffs and rubbed over my tattered wrists with his thumbs. I winced at first but the motion was soothing. I leaned forward and rested my forehead against his.

"Why?"

"Because then you have to be my friend, whether you want to or not." I couldn't help but to laugh.

"You've never had a pet before, have you?" He shook his head. "Figures. Pets can dislike their masters, you know?" He shook his head again. I just smiled and opened my eyes. He was staring at me, probably waiting for me to look back. Something possessed me at that moment and I leaned closer and kissed him. It was a soft brush of lips, like two feathers crossing paths. It was sweet and I liked it but Gaara jumped away as though he had stuck his hand in fire. I blushed and stared at my now vacant hands.

"I'm sorry," I breathed shakily, not glancing up at him. I didn't want to see the emotions there. The pain I had felt today was already beyond my limit. Then, two fingers pulled my chin up and he kissed me back. It was my turn to pull away. "Shocking, isn't it?" I laughed. He nodded, a faint blush tinting his cheeks as he took hold of my wrists again. "You're very strange, Gaara. Did you know that?" No response.

I had been so intense with trying to figure out Gaara that I hadn't heard Temari's approach. She knocked but let herself in. "Oh, am I interrupting something?" she asked, spotting me. I turned to look at her and shook my head. She had come at the perfect time. "Are you sure? I can come back later…"

"You're fine, Temari," Gaara reassured her. She nodded and stepped in, closing the door behind her. "What do you want?"

"I just wanted to tell you that everyone's ready to leave." I stared at her, confused. Was it really morning already?

"Thank you. I'll be out momentarily."

"Take your time," she advised and then disappeared.

"Going home so soon?"

"I'm needed in Suna." I nodded my understanding and waited for him to let go of me but he kept on rubbing at my wrists. I didn't complain. "Goodbye, Nari," he said at last. He went to pull away but I caught him by the hands and kissed him one last time.

"Goodbye, Gaara." Then he collected the few belongings he had brought with him and walked out the door. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I had been holding. Then, I turned towards the window and headed out myself. I needed to meditate before I ran into someone else. My emotions were still on a high.

Yay! The romance has finally been set into motion! I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thank you for all the follows, favorites, and reviews and I promise there is something greater to come!