Keiko's POV

"What are you mumbling about, Keiko Sensei?" a familiar voice asked which startled me.

I opened my eyes to see a boy standing over me. "Nothing" I replied, trying to place where I heard his voice before.

"Ohh, well if you're free... Umm, I know Lord Gaara said not to bother you because you were ... but if you could give me some pointers for the upcoming exam you don't have to do anything just sit on the sidelines that would be awesome since Gaara isn't the best teacher ya know" he said mumbling the last part. Oh, yes so he was the boy who wanted me to be his Sensei.

Wait... Gaara was teaching this boy in my place, did he not think I was not capable of being this boy's Sensei. Did he think I was weak? Who was he to decide what I am capable of?

"Boy..." I said getting up slowly brushing my shift off. "Let's go to the training grounds." And upon hearing my words his face lite up with a genuine smile which made me forget about how angry I was at Gaara. His smile made me wonder how long he would be able to keep a genuine smile like that because the life of a ninja is a long and difficult path. He was young enough where the Fourth Great Ninja War didn't seem to have to much affect on him and peace had now fallen over the lands but peace is not eternal.

Looking at him he was young, no older than 12, height wise he was short probably only an inch taller than me and I was 4 foot 9. His height was the only similarity we shared, his skin was tanned unlike my own skin. His white blonde hair was fairly long and was tied in a loose pony tail so even our hair contrasted negatively. He wore a baggy tan sweatshirt and sported a black shirt underneath. Matching the theme his pants were black and baggy. After taking a good look at him my eyes returned back to his face.

He finally opened his eyes and that's when I noticed the color they were; they were hazel They brought me back to the past, to the day I met Fuzen and it was also the day she met him. This boy's eyes look so similar to Fuzen's back then I could have sworn if I had not known any better they belonged to Fuzen. I took a longer look at his eyes and realized this kid's eyes was a shade off from Fuzen's own eyes, they were similar but not the same. They were not the same eyes that made her fall in love.

"Keiko-sensei, you have really pretty eyes, ya know. I'm glad you're not covering your eyes anymore" He said yanking me back to the present but he also tugged free a memory I rather forget.

'You have really pretty eyes, ya know. Glad we can finally meet face to face.' a female voice said.

'What do you want Hairball' I snarled menacingly at the thing in front of me. Even my snarl and flash of teeth didn't scare it away. The hairball stood there stupidly, gawking at me with a grin plastered across its dumb face. Did this thing not fear death?

'I don't want anything from you, I just wanted to thank you for saving me that day" the hairball said. I didn't understand why the hairball wanted to thank me. "Well... there is one thing I want…' it said getting real quiet. Here it comes they always want something in the end, why couldn't anyone leave me in peace they already did enough. I started to turn around to leave the stupid creature standing in the forest like a fool.

'I want to be your friend' it said determination lighting up its eyes. I stopped in my tracks, I was thrown off by the thing's request, it was the first time someone had asked of that from me.

'I don't have friends nor do I want one' I said wearily, wondering what it was up to. A new trick probably, this creature's lot were sneaky things.

'That's okay that makes it better. I'll be your first friend' it said excitedly. The word friend was foreign to me, what does a friend do I wonder.

'If we are going to be friends I need a name to call you by' the hairball said. Again it threw me off, it was the first time someone asked for my name.

'My name is Keiko, hairball' I said still weary of the creature which stood in front of me.

'My name isn't hairball, its ….' the now name creature said angrily.

Before I let myself travel any further in my memory I snapped myself out it. I realized this boy was not like Fuzen this boy shared more characteristics with her than him and I smiled at the thought. But I couldn't remember her name it seemed I had forgotten but of course I had to remember that bastard's name. I wish she never met him, our kind were never meant to mix with these beings for when we do disaster will surely follow.

"Keiko Sensei?" the boy asked.

"Ahh... Um Thanks" I grumbled. "Come along boy," I said next after I started walking down the road.

"My name isn't boy its Daiki and the way to the training grounds isn't that way but this way, Sensei," he said angrily. My smile grew wider, yes the boy was more like her, it had been a very long time since I smiled genuinely. My hand naturally reached for his head ruffling his hair like I did to her so long ago, "Ohh is that so than lead the way Daiki-boy".

"Stop it will ya Sensei." He said batting at my hand. I laughed at his attempt to chase my hand away. I noticed myself laughing and laugh harder, it really had been a long time since I laughed too.

I stood in the center of the training watching the boy trying to complete the task I had given him. His antics were just like hers too when I tried to show her something new. He would eventually get it after a while but I still enjoyed watching him even though he wouldn't be able to do anytime soon. Although, they acted the same they were different because they came from two completely different walks of life.

"Is that everything you can do boy?" I said playfully dodging his attacks without moving and without countering.

Did I really want to help him become stronger, more powerful, more ruthless, a better killer like I was? I kept dodging his attacks still thinking if training him was the right choice but I didn't know.

'If he knew what it meant to take the long and difficult road maybe he would stop being a ninja and keep that innocent smile.' I thought.

"You should call it quits, you are not cut out to be a ninja. All your moves are predictable," I said while I grabbed all ten of his kunais he threw at me. "Not even your weapons are original," I said before throwing them back at him, each kunai hitting its mark and effectively pinning him to a pole.

I walked over to him, "Take my advice, stop being a ninja" I said my voice now serious, "while you still can still laugh because one day you will fight and one day you will have to kill even if it not your will".

"I will never stop being a ninja" he shouted at me which surprised me but I didn't let it show on my face. I turned from him and spoke, "Then when the peace everyone worked so hard to achieve crumbles away and the next great war starts you'll either be lucky and die early or be unlucky and live through a time when good people become monsters."

"Is that what happened to you? Did you watch good people become monsters?" he asked.

"No..." because I was always the monster.

"Well, I can't really understand complicated stuff like that but I want to be a ninja so I can protect everyone even if it means I get hurt. Thank you for worrying about me and trying to be all tough and scary acting but that won't work on me," he said. His words surprised me but before I could speak he kept rambling on. "You know you really must have a big heart if you are concerned for some kid you just met. It must be why Lord Gaara is so infatuated with you," he said.

That boy, I turned and faced him and was irritated with that stupid grin he wore on his face. He reminded more of that stupid hairball which annoyed me more. "That's nonsense. You just remind me of someone I used to know. As if I would be concerned over a brat like you. And for your information, Gaara is not infatuated with me" I spat out while pulling out the kunais that pinned him to the pole.

"Surrrrreee," he said. When did he get so haughty I thought as I pulled out the last kunai.

He reached out and brushed my hair off my neck his action surprised me and I froze, "Then what would you call these on your neck. You can deny it all you want but what I see right now says all" he said with a smirk. "I think I can land a hit now, so one more time, Sensei," he said.

I clamped my hand onto my neck and jumped back a couple times. "You brat," I snarled. I could feel my face heating up and my head was filling up with distracting thoughts. He came at me with new determination and I had trouble deflecting his hits with one hand. I had to move around the training ground in order to block him. This brat when did he become so skilled, he was totally different now than he was a few minutes ago.

"Sensei, there also some love bites you are forgetting on your legs," he yelled to me pointing at my legs. I looked down in panic and that's when I made my mistake, while I was distracted he charged at me. I looked up at the last second and tried to deflect his attack but I became unbalanced on my feet after deflecting his initial attack. I tried to regain my balance but he then poked my chest which sent me tumbling to the ground on my butt. I looked up at him in bewilderment, this brat actually... actually landed a hit on me.

"I finally did it," he hollered to the sky. After yelling to the sky he looked down at me in triumph as if he did the impossible. He offered his hand to help me up and I took it. "If you weren't marrying Lord Gaara I would take you as my wife," he said with that same goofy grin putting his hands behind his head after helping me up.

'This brat,' I thought and before I could give him a piece of my mind, his face paled and then I heard his voice.

"Oh really," Gaara said from behind me.

"I'll be going see you later..." the boy said turning and fleeing for his life

"I'll see you two days after tomorrow at noon sharp, Daiki," he said his voice sharp. Daiki turned his head and nodded before continuing fleeing, his face was even paler than it was before.

"You disobeyed me," he scorned me like I was a child.

I whipped around to face him, "How dare you speak down to me like I am your child" I snapped looking up at him. He stared at me his eyes were dark with some untold emotion I could not place. He was the last person I wanted to be with, "You have no right to interfere with my business, I'm heading back to the house" I snarled.

"You are not my child, you are my wife," he said grabbing my arm. "And I have every right to be involved in your business, wife," he said pulling me to his chest and wrapping his other arm around my waist.

'No not again' I thought as I struggled in his arms but he refused to let me go. He did let go of my arm but only to grab my head turning it so my face was turned looking up at him. He stared into my eyes and I paused in my struggling because I was enthralled by his eyes. I kept staring into his eyes even as he leaned down capturing my lips in a bruising kiss and I didn't fight back. I let him dominate me, the kiss was ruthless and angry filled but the longer he kept kissing me the gentler it became before he finally pulled back.

He stared at me, a slight smirk forming on his face. "No fight left, not even words?" he asked smugly because he could feel how much my legs were trembling and the only thing holding me up was his arm around my waist. Letting go of my head his now freed hand slowly traveled to the end of my shirt and slide under it. His touch was warm and made me shiver. I closed my eyes trying to will the feelings he caused me to feel but it didn't work. It didn't feel bad like it should have and I gritted my teeth in anger because his touch had only felt good ever since the very beginning.

'This bastard' I thought when I felt his fingers rub my inner thigh but then I remembered a scene in the book where the main character kicked the bad guy who was far stronger than her in a certain spot, she was able to escape his grasp. His grip was looser on me now that he was no longer looking or concentrating on my face but instead, he was focusing on where his hand was on my thigh and that's when I did it. I semi-turned kneeing him in his crotch and his hands dropped immediately away from me.

I stumbled away from him completely shocked it had worked on him but when I realized he was unable to do anything I became brave, "Oh no fight left, not even words" I snickered. I was pleased I had done this to him, he was slightly bent over and I couldn't see his face but he had one hand gripping his knee in a bruising hold. 'It must hurt', I thought and kept staring probably for too long because it seemed like he was recovering from my stunt. He lifted his head and his eyes met mine and that's when I knew I made a terrible mistake but still, he deserved it. His eyes told all, he was incredibly pissed but that emotion I couldn't place before lingered.

"Keiko" he grounded out. "You better not run",and that's when I decided to run on shaky limbs towards the village. As if I would listen to him and stand there waiting for him to fully recover so he could do whatever he planned on doing to me. I never turned back in fear he was right behind me. I made it into the village and darted in and out of the crowd until I honed on Kankuro and Temari in the marketplace. I ran straight to safety almost knocking Temari to the ground.

'I'm safe, I'm safe' I kept repeating in my head but I knew the moment we were alone he would get me. I definitely shouldn't have done that but I didn't regret it. He had other women so why didn't he marry one of them he would have been happier, right? That bitter feeling I had earlier returned when I pictured Gaara with other women. Yeah, that's right I was nothing but a way to make Suna financially stable so he was stuck with someone he couldn't stand but the thought he was with another woman this morning angered me.

"I don't care" I muttered to myself trying to make myself feel better.

"What did you say?" Temari asked worriedly.

"Nothing" I mumbled while clinging to her shirt while I kept looking behind me.

"Oh okay," she said somewhat confused by my behavior.

Keiko sat as far as she could from Gaara trying to avoid his gaze. Her head was propped up with her hands as she looked out the window of the train watching the scenery fly by. Her eyes darted back and forth trying to catch everything she saw out the window. Just like how her eyes never left the window Gaara's eyes never strayed from watching her. He noted how easily amused she became about the things she saw outside the window and how quickly she forgot about him.

There was a knock at their door which startled her. She turned her head towards Gaara for a split second until their eyes had met before quickly turning her head back to the window. It annoyed and also confused him that she had fled from him yesterday at the training ground when she had responded so sweetly to him when he had kissed her. He started to remember how she melted into the kiss submitting to him when he swept his tongue across her lips, her lips were so warm and soft.

Another knock at the door and Keiko's eyes glanced back at him. He smirked when he caught Keiko's eyes with his own which made her glare before he responded to the person knocking at the door.

"Come in," Gaara said.

The door opened and a woman pushing a cart full of food came in placing two plates on the table, one in front of Keiko and one in front of Gaara. Keiko glanced at the woman who placed a plate of food in front of her and noticed how the woman stared intently at Gaara. It annoyed her that the woman was so blatantly staring at him, he was no prize that's what she wanted to say but didn't.

"Thank you," Gaara said and the woman smiled at him blushing slightly before bowing in response. Keiko glared at the woman hatefully now, annoyed with the waitress's behavior. The waitress caught Keiko's gaze before standing upright. She quickly looked away before hurrying out of their private booth. Gaara however, did not fail to notice the hateful look Keiko gave the waitress.

"I'm not eating that," Keiko informed Gaara while staring at the food angrily now that she didn't have the waitress to glare at. They must have sat there in complete silence for 20 minutes after Keiko spoke. She glanced over at Gaara's plate of food when she heard the clink of silverware. She watched as he stabbed something with his fork and lift it up but not towards him but towards her.

"I said I'm not eating it. Why don't you feed that woman who was in here, she'll love it? I'm sure she is more..." she snarled out but was unable to finish her sentence as food was shoved into her mouth. Gaara was confused by her hateful behavior towards the waitress.

"You...bas..stard" she said choking on the food in her mouth. She was about to call him more names but only had more food shoved in her mouth. The food tasted so gross to her because it reminded her of all the times her clan had forced her to eat poisoned food. She was sick each and every time and she had come to hate food from then on and only ate when she absolutely needed to. The idea of someone other than her preparing her own food made her sick and she feared each time she ate food touched by others it was laced with poison.

He handed her a drink but she batted his hand away sending the drink to go flying back straight into his lap, the liquid in the cup soaking his top. She froze when she realized what she had done but quickly recovered managing to swallow the majority of the food in her mouth. "Don't you dare touch me" she snarled before attempting to dart out of their compartment but she failed to escape.

He grabbed her arm pulling her onto his lap. "You are going to help me change," he said to her, he was not going to let her run this time around.