Chapter 348: Extricate
v. to free or release from entanglement
Disclaimer: I do not own that which belongs to another.
The evening continued onward, and time moved sluggishly. The girl before him turned out to be pleasant enough, they shared a common hobby of gardening. Talking about shared interests helped to quell some of the anxiety thrumming through his stomach. He even managed to have a decent time.
Out of the corner of his eye he caught a familiar head of raven black hair. His words trailed off midsentence as he turned his whole body to identify the person attached to the hair. A swelling of relief and something warm and oozy settled in his chest to see Kagome laughing with his siblings just outside the building.
"Eh hem," coughed Baki from beside him, a pointed expression cast in Gaara's direction. Startling, Gaara returned to the present as he felt a blush, hidden by his sand, creep up his neck before he turned towards the woman he was supposed to be dating.
"I… I saw a friend," explained Gaara haltingly, resisting the urge to return to watching Kagome prop up his brother, laughing with his sister.
"She's beautiful," encouraged the girl, for the first time a wide smile spreading over her face as she followed Gaara's eyes out the window.
Disentangling from the partygoers was a more difficult task than Gaara had set out to face. It seemed that each government official, tribe leader, or council member was eager to talk to him about what Gaara could only classify as nonsense.
The woman he was on a date with, stayed demurely at his side, before helping to impede a particularly eager socialite. She stepped out in front, greeting them, allowing Gaara to slip around her.
He was so distracted trying to leave the party he hadn't noticed the shift in the crowd. There seemed to be a guffawing laughter that rippled through the crowd, a small group forming nearby.
"Excuse me," deadpanned Gaara again as he turned to see if Kagome and his siblings still remained in front of the building. A sinking in his gut settled sourly as he appeared to have lost them in his time dealing with politics.
"Gaara!" called a familiar voice that sent his heart racing. Whipping quickly towards the call he noticed that Kagome was situated in the middle of a small crowd of council members and ninja. A smile blossoming on her lips, large, bright, and cheery as she eagerly waved him over.
Curious, thought Ebizō, large eyebrows raised revealing a sliver of the whites of his eyes. Ebizō had known Gaara since the moment of his birth and had many opportunities since to observe the boy in his various moods, from murderous to motivating the masses. But never had he witnessed the boy act as he did on his approach towards Kagome. He knew that the strange girl had been a good friend of the siblings, but Ebizō had never been fortunate to see them interact until tonight.
Kankuro was leaning heavily on the bar, as Kagome discreetly directed trays of hors d'oeuvers towards the inebriated man. Temari was laughing maniacally at her brother's expense, and Kagome cheerily greeted the scores of politicians with a smile and personal anecdote, a reminder to Ebizō of the girl's employment as the past Kazekage's secretary.
What really caught his attention was how single minded Gaara seemed to be to get to Kagome's side. The boy exuded a sort of killing intent that cleared a path through his battle trained ninja, before deliberately forcing himself into the small space between Kagome and Temari. His fidgeting fingers grasping towards Kagome before faltering and clenching at his side.
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