Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.
I apologize for the extended delay in updating this story v.v I have a basic outline for how I want this fic to go, but I'm having a bit of writer's block in going from point A to point B. On top of that, my job is still a bit chaotic because of the virus.
Thank you to BatmanForPresident, Lucia, and the mysterious Guest for their reviews! Lucia, Temari will be a long time in coming, but hopefully you'll see Kankuro within the next four to six chapters.
On that note, as of now, Minoko has no idea who Gaara's family is outside of Yashamaru. Gaara always refers to Rasa as the Kazekage and Rasa never mentions any relation to him. Gaara also never talks about his siblings, as he isn't allowed contact with them himself.
Sorry for the longer author's note! On to the story :D
Chapter 24
Kai Taru wasn't stupid.
He may be a bit ignorant when it came to his daughter and her chosen career path, but he wasn't blind to the pressures that she was under.
He could see how tired she was when she had finally come home after several months.
He could see the bags under her eyes that showed she didn't sleep much the morning after.
He could see that she was lying when she said something about a cat when he had asked her about the minor cuts that littered her body that hadn't been there when he saw her before bed.
He could see the confusion and sadness and exhaustion that seemed to seep into her very being when she distractedly ate her breakfast.
Taru wasn't stupid.
He knew that the best way to help her would be to not let on that he saw these things and to just let her come to him in her own time.
If she came to him at all.
Taru wasn't stupid.
He was a civilian. Minoko, no matter how young and small and innocent, was a kunoichi. There were things he knew that she would never feel comfortable talking to him about. There were things that she couldn't talk to him about. He knew this and he forced a smile onto his face as he asked about her plans for the day. Forced his tone to be even and inviting and filled with the love that he had had for her since he first held her in his arms.
But that didn't mean that he didn't worry.
He knew how dangerous being a shinobi was. The moment she put on that cloth with metal and Suna's insignia, she became a target. He almost lost her already on that horrid C-rank mission. He saw her come home almost daily with cuts and bruises and the occasional broken bone that was somehow set with healing magic. He saw the grief and her innocence being chipped away bit by bit.
Oh, he knew, at least to some extent, how hazardous her job could be.
Why did he have trouble believing that?
When a knock came at the door as he was putting the morning dishes in the sink, his daughter rushed to opened it. All he heard was awkward silence, so when he looked over to see an over-quiet Gaara standing in his doorway, Taru invited him in. It seemed apparent that neither child would speak first, especially with him in the room. He offered the red-head some tea and a biscuit and then excused himself from the kitchen shortly after so that the two could talk.
He knew that look that the young boy had.
His eyes held an almost audible pleading for forgiveness and acceptance.
They held guilt when they glanced at the paper-thin cuts that littered his baby girl's arms and face.
They held a tentative hope as he held out a paper bag to her and said he brought medicine.
They held tears when Minoko gave him a small smile and accepted the offering.
They held laughter not twenty minutes later as the two children talked about a simple mission that they had gone on together.
Taru wasn't stupid.
He knew that Gaara was both a danger and a blessing to his daughter. And he knew that the young boy in the next room over was the only one that his daughter would to talk to and confide in. Not her daddy. But her friend. Her comrade. He knew when to step back and start to let go.
No matter how painful and lonely it was to do so.
He saw how much closer the two young children were growing and knew at some point down the road, hopefully years and years down the road, he'd have to have a talk with the red-head.
The innocent hugs and kisses on the cheek would one day lead to hand holding and intimate gestures.
The casual time spent together would most likely end up becoming dates.
Originally, Taru had hoped that they would become like siblings, but he had a feeling that that wouldn't be the case. Not with them. No matter how young, both children had seen so much pain and suffering. Their eyes were older than their years.
So he relished the times when they were smiling and happy. The times they could be the children they truly were. And he kept a close eye on his baby girl when he saw the occasional red dusting her cheeks after a kind gesture from Gaara.
Yes, he'd definitely need to have a talk with the boy.
Taru wasn't stupid. He wasn't.
He silently watched over Minoko for the next few days, then weeks, then months. He saw her start to relax as time flowed by. The grief that seemed to haunt her was slowly drifting further from her conscious mind. He didn't know who or what she was grieving for. He never asked. But he made sure to hug her just a little longer before she left the house each day and to treat her to her favorite foods a bit more often.
The smiles were always worth it.
Why didn't he see this coming?
He never asked her about how or why she was so quickly promoted to chunin at the age of five a mere week after her return. He just congratulated her with a smile and pushed his worry to the back of his mind.
He didn't ask her about her training. He just made sure that there was a bath ready for her after she dragged herself home and that her clothes were clean and mended as best as he could.
He didn't ask about the nightmares he knew she had on a semi-regular basis. He just happened to buy a small present or flower for her later the next day.
He didn't ask about the Kazekage's increasing interest in her and her recovery and abilities as a kunoichi.
He didn't ask. Why didn't he ask?
He should have.
A/N: Short chapter. I'm sorry about that, but this is a segue into the next major arch. Honestly, the last 24 chapters were all originally supposed to be about 3-4 chapters long in total. The story kind of ran away with me and I ended up filling in a shit ton more details about missions and relationship building than I originally had outlined. Don't get me wrong, I think the story is better for it. It's just a bit of a relief for me to finally get to the part of the story that I built the whole fic around XD
Let me know what you think!