Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.

Chapter 45

The door to a house in the center of Suna banged open in a loud entry as a ninja with a purple painted face walked in, "Hey Temari, what's for supper? I'm starv- GAH! Kai? What are you doing here?"

Kai Minoko looked up from her place on the couch. Before she could answer Gaara walked in from the adjoining room, "Minoko will be staying here for the time being until she can find a residence of her own."

Kankuro's face contorted in confusion, "Who's Min- oh right," he reached up and rubbed his temples, eyes closed, "Kai isn't Kai, Kai is Minako."

"Minoko," Gaara corrected.

Kankuro waved a hand flippantly, "Minako, Minoko, whatever. Girl-chan."

He glanced over at said girl sitting in his living room unsurely as she smirked up at him.

"You know Kitty-chan, just cause you know I'm a girl doesn't mean I'm any different than before. I can still kick your butt in a spar."

They both grinned at the usual taunting. "Bring it on pretty-boy."

Minoko shook her finger in a chastising way, "Tsk tsk, I'm not a boy. Your taunts need fixing."

Kankuro huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, "Whatever, I'll still beat you."

Minoko's laugh echoed in the halls, making a curious Temari come out of the kitchen to see what was going on. Kankuro looked indignantly at the girl across from him, "What's so funny?"

"I beat you consistently in close combat taijutsu. No chakra. You haven't seen what I can do with it in an open space."

"Well, neither have you. And I'm a long-range fighter anyway!"

Minoko gained a triumphant look on her face, "Did you forget about my special gift already, Kitty-chan? I just told you about it at the hospital two days ago. Your little Mari-dolls can't affect me if I know all their tricks, your habits, and what you'll do next."

She smirked in satisfaction as she watched his face grow pale, "Shit."

She laughed again at his expense as Temari looked at Kankuro, "Mari-dolls?"

Kankuro waved absently in her direction, "Short for marionette."

Temari raised a brow at the older of her two brothers, "Wow Kankuro, haven't seen anyone able to work you up this much before."

Minoko stood from her spot on the couch and walked over to stand by the wind kunoichi, back to the still-pale puppeteer, "I have. Just look in a mirror Temari and you'll see who."

She suddenly felt herself in a familiar headlock that she knew she could break out of in a moment if she wanted to, "Shut up Kai…I mean Minoko..gah!"

Sand had come between the two bickering shinobi and separated them to opposite sides of the room. Minoko looked up to see Gaara giving her and Kankuro a strange look that she couldn't place. She then looked to see the older brother grumbling and shaking the sand out of his hair before placing the hat firmly back on his head.

Huh, that's the first time she'd seen him without the hat. Brown hair. She thought it would be red or blonde like his siblings.

Shrugging, she gave him a small smile, "Kankuro, you can keep calling me Kai. It is my surname…plus it'd be weird hearing you call me something different. I've gotten so use to everyone calling Kai."

After getting a reluctant nod from the moping shinobi, she turned to the red-head. "And Gaara, this," she said, point between her and Kankuro, "is normal. I can handle a little headlock from the high and mighty purple Kitty-chan."

"Haven't heard the 'high and might' part in a while," Kankuro muttered.

"Well, it's been a while since you thought you could actually beat me."

As the two continued to bicker back and forth with the occasional thrown/dodged blow, the two forgotten siblings hung back by the wall near the staircase that led to the second floor. Temari was finding the whole thing to be highly entertaining. She could tell that the house would be even more lively now with the addition of another girl.

Gaara, on the other hand, looked back and forth between the two, a strange feeling coursing through him. He grabbed his suddenly aching chest, over where his heart was located and frowned. He glanced at his sister, who hadn't noticed his unusual behavior, and back toward the fighting friends. Minoko now had Kankuro in a headlock.

Gaara turned and started to walk up the stairs.

"Hey Gaara, where're you going?" Temari asked.

"To my room. I won't be eating tonight Temari."

She shrugged, "Alright, see you in the morning little brother."

Temari turned back to the suddenly quiet fight and had to stop herself from laughing. Minoko still had Kankuro in a headlock, however, Minoko's attention was now on the empty stairwell.

The funny part being that Kankuro's face beneath the paint was starting to turn the same color as the paint itself.

"What was that about?" the ebony haired girl asked.

Temari shrugged again, "Not sure."

Minoko dropped Kankuro who had been tapping her arm in surrender for at least a minute. He fell to the floor sucking in glorious breaths of air. Minoko ignored the oxygen deprived shinobi and started up the stairs, "I'm going to go check on him."

…

Looking around the sparsely furnished bedroom, Minoko couldn't find a trace of her oldest friend. She looked closer and noticed that the window was wide open. She smiled softly and climbed through, avoiding getting pricked by the many cacti there, and turned to stand perpendicular with the walls of the building with little difficulty despite the long years she went without this skill. Muscle memory was a wonderful thing and chakra memory seemed to follow suit.

She walked up to the roof where she knew Gaara felt the most comfort. She saw him immediately, sitting on the edge of the roof, one knee drawn up to his chest while the other dangled over the side. One of his arms rested on the bent knee while the other supported his frame. He was staring up at the waning crescent moon, the light gently illuminating his thoughtful features.

She knew that he sensed her presence, the way his head tilted slightly in her direction indicated as such. She stayed quiet as she walked over and sat beside him, joining him in staring at the moon.

He would talk when he was ready. That was something she was sure had not changed.

After a few minutes of peaceful moon-gazing, Gaara flicked his eyes over to her for a moment before settling back on the pearlescent orb, "What is Kankuro to you?"

Minoko didn't take her eyes off the sky as she answered easily, "A friend that's fun to use as a punching bag every so often."

She glanced at him and saw that he seemed unconvinced.

She sighed, "I'm serious Gaara," she leaned back on her hands in a relaxed manner, "Kankuro always saw me as a guy, and that's what I wanted. If he ever liked me in the way I think you're insinuating, well, then we'd know why he's so interested in make-up then, wouldn't we?"

She smiled slightly as she saw the tension leave his shoulders. Her smile turned into a light smirk as she nonchalantly added, "Besides, I was already in love with someone else."

The tension returned, only it seemed to encompass his whole body rather than just his shoulders.

Minoko looked at his eyes and saw the look that he had given in the living room return.

Ah, so it was jealousy.

She leaned back forward and brought both knees up to her chest, laying her arms across them, "He was my first real friend, and I loved him enough to try and protect him by giving up my own freedom. I recently reconnected with him. Turns out that the separation didn't do anything to dampen that resolve or my feelings."

The tension eased out from the boy sitting next to her once more, leaving the two in comfortable silence. Minoko waited patiently as he processed the information.

"You can't leave me again," came his hushed, almost course voice, "It's my turn to protect you."

Minoko smiled and laid her head on his shoulder. She felt him stiffen under the contact, but relax after a moment's hesitation as he laid his cheek on top of her head.

The two sat in the cool air for hours, listening to the night and watching the moon and stars shine brightly. Before the first rays of sun peeked up over the horizon, the young Kazekage gently picked up the girl that had fallen asleep and transported the two into her room. He placed her carefully on her bed and removed her shoes. Before exiting, he smoothed back a sort lock of hair from her face and did something impulsive.

He leaned over and placed a small, chaste kiss on her forehead before quickly leaving the room.

A/N: A little fluff! I hope you enjoyed it! Please review :D