Chapter twenty-five: Confronting Gaara
Moriko sighed as she felt Gaara's prescence behind her. What was it with this kid? It seemed like every time she went grocery shopping, or out to train, he was right there behind her. "Alright, that's it. Time to see what this kid wants." Moriko turned into the forest by the training grounds, and hid. Sure enough, he appeared, searching for the blonde. The mask-clad woman crept up behind him, making sure to keep her distance. "Why are you following me?"
He went stiff, surprised at the fact she was able to sneak up on him. He slowly turned around, sea-foam eyes clashing with blue-grey. "..." Moriko sighed, resting her right hand on her hip. "I know you're capable of answering a simple question, Gaara. Now tell me, why are you following me?" He merely stared at her, before murmering. "You're a woman." Moriko groaned. "This again? I wasn't exactly hiding my gender to begin with. Yes, I am a woman." He continued staring at her, and moriko returned the gaze, arching an eyebrow under her mask.
To moriko's surprise, he disappeared in a swirl of sand, leaving her alone. "Huh... guess i'm not going to get that answer then." Then, she noticed something. The sand left behind swirled up to her, solidifying into a sort of pedestal. she blinked, staring as something began to push its way to the surface. "A... desert rose?" Moriko's eyes searched the flower, and she couldn't help the small smile pushing at her lips. It certainly was a beautiful flower. the edges of the petals were a bright shade of pink, slowly fading inward to a soft shade of white. She hesitantly reached out, before lightly taking the flower from its makeshift home.
The sand disintegrated, floating away on the warm breeze and moriko watched as the last few grains disappeared before returning her attention to the flower. She unclipped her mask, taking it off to smell the sweet scent of the desert rose. smiling softly, she quickly put her mask back on and turned, returning to the hustle and bustle of the village, not noticing the seafoam eyes watching her from the sky.
Sorry that this was so short everyone. but hopefully this chapter was enjoyable. -bows repetitively- the next chapter shall be up soon. happy reading!