The Stranger in the Tower

Fireflies danced around Ai's hand as she twirled it gently, it felt like she were dancing again after so long. Her wrist even felt a little stiff after months of only writing letters and plans for war. The glittering sand moved harmoniously with her, gliding between her fingers, never touching her but not avoiding her. Something about it reminded Lena of a pet and its owner reuniting; the young woman's green eyes narrowed on the display of…well, affection between Ai and the sand. It was clear that they knew one another, they were not enemies, but the sand only signalled danger to the young dancer and she hoped that Ai had not let her guard down. It seemed that Suigetsu was thinking along similar lines.

"Ai-sama, I must insist-" but the frosty-haired boy was silenced in a sharp look that Ai gave him over her shoulder. Even Lena took a small step back in surprise at the quiet power that radiated from the courtesan. Lena knew Ai had gifts, had talents to use in war but they did not translate into any real violence or ju-jitsu. But with this look from the goddess incarnate, Lena made a sudden and startling realisation; a part of this girl, a bigger, more powerful, more dangerous part, literally guarded the gates to heaven. She alone guaranteed your place in the afterlife, watched you pass through the veil between life and death, permitted and, in a way, dictated the moment you were to die. With this understanding, Lena could finally see the true power Ai had and wondered how easy it was for her to communicate with Renai and demand someone be struck from Earthly planes? Again, Suigetsu's thoughts were mirroring her own and she felt him shift uncomfortably before nodding at Ai to acknowledge his mistake of trying to interfere.

"Stay here," Ai said gently, "it will not let you pass." Both Lena and Suigetsu knew better than to argue with her. They nodded in grim silence and watched as Ai approached the sand cautiously, it parted like a pair of gold, glittering curtains, revealing the door to the tower. Ai held out both her hands, placed her palms against the wood of the door before pushing on it firmly.

The door creaked open and the girl stepped inside the tower before the doors shut with a sharp thwack! She gasped softly at the sound, looking over her shoulder she managed to catch a glimpse of the sand outside form a solid wall between her and her companions. It sealed her away inside the tower, out of the prying gaze of the world and trapped her in here with whatever was waiting for her. And something was indeed waiting, in this circular room all the lanterns were lit, there were scrolls, pens and ink on the desk by the window that looked out onto the sea. Rays of a dying sun poured in through the window. Even several doves found this place to be a sanctuary and were sitting peacefully by the windows. She could smell that comforting fragrance that emitted from the wooden walls when the sun bathed them in warmth over a long day. It smelled like sandalwood and amber, a warm, musty, strong fragrance that reminded her of the Kazekage's palace.

The room was a study, not only was there a well-used desk, but there were well-stocked bookshelves. A crystal carafe of water was half drunk on a small table by a window; someone was using this place to study, but where were they now? Ai was paralysed by her own intrusion; had she scared away whoever dwelled in this tower? Dare she move and alert him to her presence any more? Her breath was caught in her throat, she tried not to move, not to make herself known to the occupier. Of course, she knew who the occupant must be, his sand was guarding this place, his writing was there, plain to see on the scrolls left half-written on the desk. She could sense him nearby, there was an snap of electricity and heat in the air that only existed around the great Godaime Kazekage.

She gathered herself by taking a deep breath and stretching out the fingers of her right hand, blood still dripping from her thumb. She looked down as a droplet of blood fell onto the floor before it was covered by a tiny mass of glittering sand and practically devoured by it. The blood was soaked up by the sand in a hungry manner and she almost smirked as she remembered that gentle, quiet violence Gaara used to show her in the dead of night. Perhaps he had not changed as much as she thought he had.

"Is he not here?" She asked the sand softly as it retreated from her. The answer seemed to be "no," and she gathered her dress and walked around the room to take in what exactly the Kazekage used this place for. On the desk were purely notes taken to advance his understanding of summoning techniques; perhaps he was trying to make sense of Ai's talents after seeing her at the Kage summit? But there was no evidence of such learning; it all seemed to be purely technical. No notes on the battles ahead, no journal entries revealing her enemy's plans. She sighed as she perused Gaara's writing with fading interest.

Eventually her eyes caught the bookshelves and she wandered over to inspect them, causing a few doves to hop away in fear of the newcomer. She reached out a slender finger and traced along the spines of the books, smiling as she saw titles she and Gaara had spoken of together, argued over together, hated together, loved together…it was like a little row of memories she had forgotten. Her finger stopped at the edge of the bookshelf. Next to it, between this bookshelf and the window, was a wooden cupboard with stained glass doors or teal and jade colours. From the window, golden rays, the last drops of sunlight, were pouring into the room. She could see sparks of his sand floating in the sunlight. Beyond the tower Ai could see the ocean, she could see the golden sand of the shore and she sighed as she was engulfed by the ache of want. She longed to feel the sand beneath her feet once more as she did as a child of Sunagakure.

The beautiful woman tilted her head at the cupboard, unsure of whether or not to open it. On a whim she unlatched the doors and pried them open gently. Her heart stopped as she came across a familiar and unexpected sight; a single ring lay atop a piece of paper. With a silver band and a lone, rectangular aquamarine sitting elegantly at the centre of the band, she recognised it instantly. Reaching out, the courtesan picked up the ring, feeling the cold, smooth metal slide across her palm, it gave her a small jolt of surprise and nostalgia. She had gifted it to Gaara the day he had saved her from the wrath of a rather melodramatic gardener. She had tricked the man into showing her the flowers in his greenhouse and when he turned his back she had reached up to free..

…two nightingales…

On the paper beneath the ring Ai could make out a few scribbles that someone had written. This paper was printed on a pressed paper, embossed with the seal of Sunagakure; it was from the palace itself. Looking closely at it, Ai squinted to see that it was actually the official report in which her crime of "theft" was documented. had Gaara hidden it here? Along with this ring? To keep them…safe? Such small trinkets, such tiny moments hidden behind them…did they still mean something to him? She laughed a little in remembrance as she held up the aquamarine in the sunlight; she had been such a carefree nuisance to the Kazekage when she was only a few years younger. Admiring the blue, bright stone that sparkled before her, she held on to it and closed the cupboard. Looking around her, a small wave of realisation flowed over her.

Years ago, when she had only just met the Kazekage, she had accused him of being content with the rigid and boring life of a bureaucrat and he had reprimanded her, telling her that he did not sit with such constraints quietly. The handsome young Kazekage had told her that his court often fell into pandemonium searching for him. When she had asked him where he went, he took her to that very beach beyond the window and they had shared their first kiss.

"Is this where you would run to?" Ai asked herself so softly that her voice was carried away quickly by the ocean breeze. Looking around the room, she could finally see him everywhere, in everything. Books were left on the floor by the fireplace- Gaara often liked to sit and read by the flames in the evening. A crystal glass was laying on its side by the carafe- the Kazekage would often roll his glass around absentmindedly while distracted by poetry. She could feel him everywhere in the room and it was so unexpected, to be encountering her first love in this way, that she did not even hear the door behind her open.

"Hello, Ai." She turned at the sound of his voice. Like a lullaby you hadn't heard in years, it's familiar sound brought her back to reality. As she turned, her dress followed her movement like liquid sunlight, surrounding her in waves of bronze and gold. The sound of her moving was like stars gently falling into water, a tinkling sound like wind chimes caught on the breeze as her jewellery knocked against itself. She stood, staring disbelievingly as the last rays of golden light lit up his face, while the cool darkness of dusk began to creep in to the Tower.

There he stood, the Golden Kazekage, just as handsome as she remembered him. He had entered and stood in his usual stance, ready for battle, both feet planted firmly on the ground, his arms folded, his chin tilted downward, ready to strike at any moment. But when she turned, still caught up in her feelings of nostalgia, she had taken him off guard. Her face was not that of the cold, calculated, manipulative villain he had been expecting; her face was innocent, her rosebud lips quivering a little as his beauty and power left her speechless.

Both were entirely paralysed by the other, it was as though, in this place, full of memories and unspoken love, they were hidden away from the rest of the world. Thoughts of war and the past remained locked out of this Tower, back in the real world and in here just the two star-crossed lovers were caught in a strange and undeniable moment of kismet. Looking over at him, Ai's brow began to furrow in confusion; Gaara looked different from the last time she had seen him at the Marble Palace. His hair was shorter, his stature different, in fact she could sense the underlying turbulence of emotion inside of him that she had not felt for some years. Was he…younger? Even the way he was looking at her, she could see that familiar feeling of lust and love and romance and chaos taking him over.

"RENAI!"

"Aaah!" Ai gasped in pain and fell to her knees as a screeching, booming voice echoed from nowhere, calling out for her heavenly self to come forth. It was a voice Ai recognised but before she could respond her consciousness split in two and she felt Renai, the goddess herself, look over to Gaara in surprise. The Earthbound Ai crumpled in pain as Renai used her as a conduit to see who had called to her.

"Are you okay?" Gaara walked swiftly towards her as Ai fell to the floor. Her vision divided in two and she shook her head, widening her eyes in shock and surprise, trying to rid herself of the vision of heaven Renai was sharing with her. The courtesan reached out to steady herself and caught onto the Kazekage's arm as he crouched down beside her.

"Wh-what.." Ai whispered as her eyes squinted in pain; why on Earth was he treating her like this? They were enemies! After a few moments of heavy breathing, her eyes closed, the sight of heaven slowly fading away, Ai opened her eyes and froze. Her gaze locked with those seductive, dark lined ocean eyes she knew so well. But these were…different. Something was different about him. He held her tightly, a look of concern etched on his face.

They were mere inches from one another, in fact the Kazekage was holding her so tightly, she hadn't been this close to his heroic figure in years. She was still panting, he looked down at her chest to see it rising and falling rapidly, before he blushed and looked away. Up close Ai could see his face was so different to what she remembered of him.

"Are you…blushing?" She asked, trying to stop herself from smiling in confusion. The Kazekage had seen her in much more scandalous positions than this! No…she searched his face for an answer…. This was not the same man she had met at the Marble Palace all those months ago. "Who are you?" She asked. As she spoke Gaara looked once more into her eyes and she saw something there, something dark and menacing, a presence she had not felt in a long time. Eventually, she could hear the breath of the beast in the air, it was practically salivating for her, ready to engulf her, devour her…She squinted into Gaara's eyes: "Shu…Shukaku?"

"YIPPEE! I told you she'd remember me, you arrogant little brat!"

Ai jumped away from Gaara, falling out of his arms and onto the floor. How was this possible?

"Who are you?" She asked again but before he had time to answer, before he had time to even stand again, both looked towards the door sharply, sensing the danger a moment before the door burst open. Sand came rushing in towards Gaara to protect him as, within the mass of sand, the steel of a katana shone briefly in the lamplight as it hurtled towards the Kazekage, faster than the sand could move. "No!" Ai shouted and propelled herself towards Gaara in a bid to reach him first.

With barely moments to move, it seemed the Kazekage was completely out of practice on the battlefield. He stood and froze before wrapping his arms around his first love as she flung herself at him to protect him from the blade that was hidden in the sandstorm.

"Ai, no!" Another voice came from behind the sand and in less than a second, Uchiha Sasuke followed his katana with lightning speed. He managed to reach the handle and brush it with his fingertips which was enough to divert the katana's trajectory by a few degrees so it did not pierce straight through Ai and instead grazed her right shoulder before piercing the wooden window frame next to Gaara.

"Ah!" The Kazekage felt Ai tense up a little and gasp as the blade scratched her shoulder. The force of her falling to him caused Gaara to collide with the wall behind him. The two lost lovers were forced up against each other, breathing heavily as she sand whooshed around them like a glittering cloud before all was still.

Ai felt the cold metal of Sasuke's katana against her neck. He had removed it from the wall and placed it threateningly on her shoulder so the tip ended a mere inch from Gaara's throat.

Sasuke's dark hair fell from his shoulders as he bowed his head a little, trying to control his temper as he had just witnessed the woman he loved, save the life of their enemy. Of a man she had sworn would never touch her again. The sight of Gaara's hands on her hips, her body pressed against his, made Sasuke grip the handle of his blade so tightly he could feel the wood crack in his palm.

"Get your hands off her." Sasuke breathed menacingly.

Oh my goodness, whose side are you on, Ai? And who is this Gaara? And Sasuke's about to wreck somebody…it's almost so exciting that you could review!…Pretty please? Let me know what you think? :)