Chapter 341: Sagacious

adj. having or showing keen mental discernment and good judgment.

Disclaimer: I do not own that which belongs to another.

Kagome's return had prompted Gaara to become more introspective. Her presence was leaving him distracted and baffled; she wasn't quite the same cheerful girl that he remembered. With her staying in his home, he had many opportunities to scrutinize her.

In quiet moments, his eyes would drift towards the girl, and rarely was he able to pull his attention away when they found her. His heart would gallop wildly in his chest when she would glance up and catch his eye, a slight smile drawing languidly across her pink lips. His gut would roil and Gaara could feel heat run across his cheeks, their redness hidden under his suit of sand.

Kagome seemed to have become more tactile in the time that she had been gone. She would often reach for his sweating palms or yank him into a soul melding hug that often felt him breathless and hoping for more. His planned-out words would melt off his tongue and fly out of his clamoring mind.

Despite being the youngest leader of Sunagakure, he felt dumb and raw in her dazzling presence. Hadn't he once thought Kagome was able to steal charka? Perhaps he hadn't been far from the truth.

Gaara is older than me now.

Kagome's thoughts circled as she rested her chin on a closed fist, head slightly tilted while observing him from her place at the table. Gaara leaned over the stove to stir the curry he was making for their dinner. In the seconds she had been gone, all her friends had aged years. Even Kankuro, who acted the exact same, had aged and matured, exhibiting new face paint.

Gaara appeared to have changed the most. He was more board and stood ten centimeters taller than her. His hair a deeper crimson than she remembered it being just days before. The biggest change of all manifested in his demeanor. He was calmer, steadier, slow to anger, and quick to empathize. He had always had a kindness hidden under all his childhood trauma, but it radiated off him now, sprouting from his eyes and tucked in the corners of his sweet, shy smile.

Sitting across from her Kankuro caught her eye, a mischievous grin widening across his face while he wagged his eyebrows.

"See something you like?" teased Kankuro with a deep chuckle. Kagome felt heat rise up her neck and color the tips of her ears.

"Something is wrong with Kagome," declared Gaara as he looked over his most trusted advisers. Baki and Kankuro exchanged a glance, the latter raised his eyebrows in surprise while the former furrowed theirs in thought.

"What do you mean?" finally ventured Baki in concern. He slowly approached Gaara's desk and took a seat opposite his Kazekage.

"She's…" started Gaara, grasping for the right words to explain Kagome's current mood. Kagome had been forcing the smiles that used to come naturally to her, she was sequestering herself away in her room when there weren't any guests around, and he had heard crying on multiple occasions. "She is not happy, I think."

Kankuro scoffed as he slouched against Gaara's pristine desk.

"Duh, she is grieving," declared Kankuro as if it was obvious, as if Gaara should have recognized the signs.

"What is she grieving?" asked Gaara, a tilt to his head as he tried to understand what was happening with his housemate.

"She is most likely grieving several things. Loss of family, loss of home, losing her hope of return," explained Baki, his expression distant as his thoughts collected.

"What do we do?" fretfully pressed Gaara.

"Talk to her," casually shrugged Kankuro.

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