Destiny of the Cursed

Chapter 18: A break?

Two weeks had past since Katana came to Suna. And those two weeks had been quite good for both Gaara and his siblings. He slept in a minimum amount of four hours and sometimes a maximum of six. He's still adjusting, Temari mused, but he sure was a lot better now. His strength and stamina had come back. His chakra was of normal level again. And he wasn't so grumpy all the time now. Yes, he is still stoic but at rare times, if their eyes were fast enough, they would catch the small smile on his pale face. It was all thanks to a doing of one girl…

Temari found herself watching the two lovebirds talk to each other over a nice cup of tea.

'Ah…they're sooo made for each other. Wouldn't it be nice if Katana became my sister-in-law? Why can't they just swallow their prides and confess already? I'm darn tired seeing them so hesitant!' she thought, brewing a master plan in her mind. Said two lovebirds were, in turn, staring uncomfortably at the blond wind mistress.

"Temari, are you alright?" asked Katana, tone laced with concern and uncertainty. When the girl didn't respond, Gaara cleared his throat loud enough to snap his sister out of her trance.

"Wait, what? What's wrong? What happened?" demanded Temari all of a sudden, flipping her humongous fan open to blow away those who dare hurt her brother. But Temari saw Gaara sitting in his chair like always, safe and sound. And maybe a bit confused. "Nothing happened Temari." He stated. "We were just wondering why you staring at us."

"Staring? I wasn't sta—" Then, her idea popped up so suddenly in her mind. This was the perfect chance. She mentally gave herself a pat on the back. "Oh yes." She answered dramatically. "I couldn't help but notice… that the two of you looked so tired from all the work." Gaara and Katana shared a look before turning back to Temari.

"Tired?" inquired Gaara. Temari nodded her head encouragingly. "Yes! I mean, just look at Katana! She's pale and her eyes look…sickly." She finished. Katana gave Temari a funny look. "I assure you Temari, I'm just fi—"

"No, you're not." Cut in Temari.

"Yes, I a—"

"Nope." interrupted Temari again. "Gaara, come on. Look at her!"

Gaara scanned Katana up and down. He turned to her. "What do you want me to do?" he asked. Temari brightened up like a happy firefly. "You know what the two of you need? You need a break."

"A break?" both of them chorused. Temari nodded again. "A well-earned break." Gaara gave her a blank stare. "Katana can rest, if she wishes. But I thought that you of all people should know that I cannot just rest whenever I want to."

Her face fell. "Why not?" The sight of a pouting Temari was just too odd to see. Remaining passive, Gaara answered what for him was the most obvious answer. "I am the Kazekage, Temari. I have duties to take care of." Temari waved the problem away. "Silly. Of course I know that. While you're gone out relaxing, I'll take care of everything here!" she reassured.

Gaara raised a nonexistent eyebrow suspiciously. "Everything?"

"Everything." She repeated. Gaara closed his sea foam colored eyes and sighed in defeat. The girls waited for his answer.

"…Alright." He droned out slowly. Gaara turned to Katana. "Change and I'll take you to dinner." She sighed as well and complied. Temari's smile couldn't be any wider than it already was. 'Everything is going according to my plan!' She followed Katana out of the office.

"Hey, come with me." Said Temari. She didn't even wait for Katana's reply and dragged the poor girl to her room and locked the door. Pointing at her bed, she ordered the brunette to sit down. Then she slammed open her closet and began to search for the right dress.

Clothes literally flew every where. "Temari…" she started quietly. "I don't look that tired now, do I?" The blond, who was currently digging in her closet, froze in her spot. She turned to Katana and smiled nervously. "Sure you do." Katana crossed her arms across her chest and frowned. "Temari…"

She gulped. It was hard to escape this one. "Well, you seem really uhm," she reasoned out, "stressed and all that so, ah…. I was wondering if maybe you're a little too hard on yourselves, that's why I suggested for you two to go out on a da—" She coughed. "Break." Katana shook her head slowly. Really, she didn't look a bit convinced but just chose to remain silent and let Temari help her.

"Why are they taking so long?" muttered Kankuro. He and his brother stayed on the living room. The older one regarded Gaara. He wore his red suit, with his gourd settled down on the floor. He sweat dropped. 'This kid really doesn't know what to wear on dates, does he?'

But even with the simplicity of his attire and that indifferent look on his face, he was still handsome. His brick red hair was splayed across his forehead, but left the love kanji showing. Pale, aquamarine eyes were calm and peaceful. The tapping of footsteps can be heard. Both males looked up. "Temari, are you sure this is a good idea?" they heard Katana ask. "You look fine, Katana! Actually, you look great. Now stop playing with the ribbon."

As soon as the girls were in line of sight, Gaara's eyes immediately fell on the brown-haired girl. Striking grey eyes matched well with the silver bow placed side wards on her head. She was clad in a gold, corset-like top, a silky black skirt and a black over coat. He was familiar with the outfit, for he saw his sister wear it once. But only once, for she claimed that it did not fit her. Now, staring at the beautiful girl in front of her, his throat went dry.

"So, how does my masterpiece look like?" asked Temari smugly, pride evident in her voice. Katana flushed. She wasn't used to wearing dresses. The skirt that she wore suddenly made her very conscious. She pursed her lips.

Kankuro broke into a grin. "Wow, Katana, you look wonderful!" he exclaimed. Katana smiled sheepishly in thanks.

"Let's not delay the two of you further. Go on now." Gaara grabbed his gourd before Temari pushed both of them towards the door. They went outside and were greeted by the cold evening breeze. "Have fun!" Temari called out for one last time, before they were out of earshot.

They walked beside each other, Gaara's arms crossed on his chest and Katana with her hands hidden on her back. They didn't dare to look at each other for fear of madly blushing afterwards. Katana coughed lightly to get her companion's reaction.

"Why did you agree to Temari? I don't look pale or sickly, right?"

An almost inaudible sigh escaped his mouth. "If I hadn't agreed…" trailed off Gaara, "she would have bothered me to death." Katana snickered. "She's that stubborn, huh?" She received a slight nod from him.

When silence dawned to them again, Katana noticed all the eyes staring at her. There were timid murmuring, giggles and even bets. She reddened and tensed. Gaara sensed her discomfort.

"Is something bothering you?" he asked in a low voice. She edged to him nearer. He lowered his head. "They're…staring at us." She whispered. He scanned their surroundings and realized what she said. All the villagers were indeed gawking at them. The old women were cooing and exchanging opinions about Katana. The men were all smirks, betting against one another about something that concerns them as well. And other girls huffed and occasionally glared at Katana in envy and jealousy.

'They think we're together…' Although his face betrayed no emotion, something about that thought made his heart race faster and melted his insides into a puddle of goo. It was a tingly kind of feeling that he can get used to anytime. Slowly, he reached for her hand and wrapped his pale, strong one around hers. He was never one to show affection in public, especially when he wasn't even sure what their relationship status was yet, but right then, he made an exception. Katana felt her face burn and snapped at him.

"What are you doing?" she asked in alarm and panic. The glares given off in her direction was beginning to increase. Gaara glanced at her innocently and said nothing but squeezed her hand gently as if to say, don't worry about them. Her lips curved upwards. He was only trying to comfort her. They reached the restaurant with their hands still held. The owner of the place welcomed them warmly.

"It is a great honor for us to serve you, Kazekage-sama." They bowed in full respect. Gaara shook his head. "I eat here every time as an ordinary person, Fujita-san. So like before, my companion and I are just ordinary people here to eat today. Please, there's no need to be formal." The old man smiled broadly at Gaara. "As you wish, Gaara-sama." He said. "But please, I insist that your orders today are on the house." Gaara argued no more and let the waitress lead them to their table.

As Katana told him more stories about Naruto, her friends and Konoha as they ate, he couldn't help but notice her remarkable features. Unlike before, her face was now mellower and more womanly. The dress that she wore hugged her fit body and there was this unexplainable glow within her. "We were all like, 'Can you believe it?'" she remarked, grinning, "Naruto had actually beaten Chouji in a ramen-eating contest!" Hearing her melodious laugh, a spark was set off inside him. Without realizing it, he smiled at her. It was a small genuine smile, something that he had never showed to other people except for his siblings. Her laughing seized little by little and was replaced by a beam.

"You look better smiling." She said. His mind registered the statement and the smile faded. He coughed in excuse and looked away. Still smiling, she resumed eating. "After you're finished, I want to show you something." He said. Excitedly, she wolfed down her food and wiped her mouth clean with a napkin. "All done!" she declared. Gaara blinked at her, eyes wide.

He led her outside and took out a white cloth. Going behind her, he tied the blindfold securely. "Is this really necessary?" asked Katana in annoyance. He smirked. "No." She was so easy to piss off sometimes. "Why you—!" She growled and made a clumsy lunged at him that only resulted to her almost falling. Almost. Gaara caught her just in time. "Are you okay?" His breath mingled with her puffs in the air. She gulped. "Y-yeah. Just fine." Gaara sighed in disapproval. "You should be more careful." He told her. She grunted. The sand and his voice guided her out of the crowd. As they went on further, the surrounding became calmer. Katana was getting more curious by the minute. "Gaara…Are we there ye— Hey!" The sand suddenly let go of her hand. She had no support and no idea where she was. She tried to reach for the knot of her blindfold but couldn't untie it anyway for it was in an awkward position.

"Gaara, this isn't funny!" protested Katana, her eyes barely seeing through the thick fabric covering it. It was almost night, judging by how cold the wind was. Katana shuddered. "Gaara where are you?" she asked. A warm hand was brought down on her arm and led her to the right way. They stopped and Gaara undid her blindfold. Peeking slightly, her shining orbs widened. "Wow, this is beautiful…" she breathed out. They were on top of a high cliff and below were the endless ocean of sand, glittering silver in the moonlight.

They sat on the edge, their feet dangling. After a moment, Gaara spoke. "This is where I was when I first decided to run for the position of the Kazekage."

Katana smiled. "Naruto changed you a lot, didn't he?"

"He did." He agreed. "But you were the one who encouraged me to change." She laughed pleasantly. "Yeah…You were quite a pain in the ass back then." She said. Sensing her teasing tone, he took no offense. Instead, he snorted. "You were the one who made friends with the pain in the ass." He saw her grin. "That's true." She admitted. She turned to face him. "And I never regretted having that pain in the ass as my friend." He smiled faintly.

"You know", started Katana mischievously, "your nickname should be officially 'A pain in the ass'." Gaara frowned and she bursted out laughing but calmed down immediately.

The serene silence was shared upon the teenagers. Katana looked up at the moon, oblivious to the gaze of the redhead. She smiled again, her eyes focused at the silver light. That was her name. Katana of the Yotsuki Clan. Sword of the Night Moon. She shook her head at the irony.

"You look beautiful tonight." He commented before he could even stop himself. He flushed in shock and cursed himself mentally. Startled, she faced him again. Realization of what he just said dawned to her, and a blush appeared on her cheeks. "Oh… thanks." She tugged at her hair, which was suddenly interesting for her. It was a sign of embarrassment, which Gaara kept in mind.

He, too, was rather ashamed of what he blurted out. The harsh gust of cold wind hollered at them and Katana, who was still adjusting to Suna's climate, shivered and moved nearer to Gaara's warmth. His face turned to the color of his hair. Gulping nervously, he wrapped a protective arm around her.

As he held her, he felt so…so… lightheaded. It was like that tingling feeling before. Katana thanked Kami that it was already dark and her face was hidden away from him for she was bright red in the face as well. When she edged closer, she thought he would tense and push her away. But no, he did the complete opposite and even wrapped an arm around her. Everyone knew that she and Gaara had a mutual feeling between them but they just hadn't had the chance to talk about it. So when it comes to things like these, they were always hesitant and nervous.

Perhaps that chance to talk about it is right now? Thought Katana. The nervous boiling pit in her stomach was making her quiver even more. Gaara, who thought that she was still cold, pulled her against him closer. He was actually thinking the same thing inside that was bothering Katana.

'Maybe I need to tell her how I feel before it's too late?' He considered the idea. 'But then what would I say?' He inwardly groaned in frustration.

Gaara, I thought a lot about us in the past few days and—

'And I just feel that we're so—'

Perfect for each other? Ick, that's so cliché.

'…That's plain gross.'

As the two busied themselves on thinking of a way on how to confess, Temari and Kankuro watched them from a tree top above. Who took care of the paperwork, you might ask? Well, let's just say their previous sensei was having trouble in the office right now.

"Aren't they cute together, Kankuro?" gushed out Temari. The puppeteer sighed. "Tem, that's like the tenth time you said that." She rolled her eyes at his comment. "So what? It's true anyway, isn't it?" She turned back at them. "I just wish they'd get it over with and kiss!" Kankuro blanched. "Oi, you're being too noisy!" he scolded her. Temari didn't seem to hear him. "Come on you two! Kiss!" she demanded, only to regret it later on. "Did you hear that?" It was Katana's voice.

'Shit!' She and Kankuro thought as they ducked.

Gaara and Katana looked back. There was nothing. Katana scratched her head. "I was pretty sure I heard something." She mumbled. An idea hit Gaara. He stood up so suddenly, he startled Katana. "Gaara is something wrong?" she asked. He shook his head quickly and helped her up.

Once she stood in her own, he did a quick hand seal. His gourd spat out sand and gathered underneath his feet. Soon, it was like a sturdy, circular disk that he stood on. He floated upwards. Katana stared at him in awe. She could sometimes forget what he can do with his sand.

He offered his hand to her. She only looked at it. "Come with me." He said. She looked up at him, and then looked down below the cliff. It was a long way down. She gulped. He followed her gaze and came to a conclusion. "Are you afraid of high places?" he asked cautiously. She shook her head. "I'm just afraid of falling." She corrected. She hesitated.

"Trust me." His words held sincerity. She bit her lower lip and reached for his hand. He pulled her up beside him and shot upwards. Afraid for her dear life, she clutched on Gaara's waist tightly. They went a good ten feet up or so and finally stopped. He pointed down and she looked at it. It was like looking at a miniature version of the Suna village. Fear escaped her system as she became more engrossed with the scenery. She didn't even notice that they were already going down, in front of the Kazekage mansion. They entered the house and found Temari and Kankuro waiting for them. Gaara stared at his siblings. After a while of scrutinizing, he asked.

"Why are the two of you covered in bruised and smudges of dirt?" They sweated.

"We were…" started Temari.

"Well, we uh…" Kankuro tried next.

"Sparred?" offered Katana helpfully. They brightened up. "Yes, sparred!" they exclaimed. Gaara gave them a flat look that simply said, 'You have to try better than that next time.' He let them off the hook, for now. Katana and Gaara went upstairs to their respective rooms. While rested on her mattress, Katana thought about the past happenings. I didn't get to tell him what I wanted to say…She turned to her side and curled. But who knows? I might get another chance tomorrow.

She drifted off to sleep, not knowing on how wrong she was.

End of Chapter