Beep~

Beep~

Beep~

With only one eye open, you glare angrily at the clock, which rudely woke you from the best dream you have had in a while. Ever since the accident two weeks ago, you have been having reoccurring nightmares that come straight from the darkest corners of your mind. They have been plaguing your dreams and allowing you to get no more than three hours of sleep before you finally give up on the idea of the ever-elusive rest you very much need.

Last night was the first, of many you hope, that the nightmares did not come. However, there was something about your dream that really confused and intrigued you as well. There was a boy there, and, from what you could tell, he was not faceless, like most people in your dreams are. The only problem was that he was only in the shadows and you never got to really see him. Not that it really matters; he was most likely a person your mind made up.

Reluctant as you are, you push the covers of you bed back and are in the middle of swinging your feet off the bed when your apartment door, which is only a few meters away, slams open and the trespasser shouts at the top of her lungs, “Wake up!”

She then takes notice of you, who is already getting to your feet, and tackle hugs you. Or, at least she would have, had you not sidestepped, already aware of her morning hugging habits. She crashes onto your bed, the groans as she rubs her head, where it connected with the bedpost. You ignore her and begin to select your clothes from the dark, wooden dresser.

Now that she knows that she will get nowhere by trying to hug you again, the trespasser sits cross-legged on your unmade bed, finding a comfortable warmth in the spot you occupied a moment ago. This ‘trespasser’ is your cousin, and the only family you have in the village. You have other family outside, but when you moved, you had to leave them all behind. You rather love your family, but they were having money problems and you, being the oldest of your siblings, opted to get a job to help pay for your large family’s living expenses.

That job is as a kunoichi for Konoha. You may not have gone through the Academy, but you still made it to the level of Chuunin with great ease. However, without a recommendation from anyone, the rank of Jounin still eludes you. Not that you really want it in the first place. Sure, Jounin missions are bound to give you more money, but they are also harder and take more time, while Chuunin missions are usually quick and pay well enough.

You glance around your almost empty room, wondering why your cousin is so silent all of a sudden, which is completely unlike her. You do not hate her, but that does not mean you enjoy her loud mouthing and other obnoxious habits. Still, she is family and you put up with, if not sometimes enjoy, her company.

“What is it?” You ask, realizing that the reason she was so silent was because she was unsure if she should ask something of you or not. There is a rare occasion when your cousin finds something she is not entirely comfortable asking. Sometimes, it is love advice, other times, it is work advice.

Your cousin is no kunoichi; she is actually a medical shinobi at a local hospital. You may know nothing about healing or medicines, but you understand people, while your cousin might not. There is always an unhappy patient at the hospital and your cousin gets very scared when she is yelled at. When she was younger, she would even cry if someone was angry at her or others. Now that she is older, she feels a reserve towards expressing herself around others or when in trouble.

“Hokage-sama asked me…” She says, and then trails off, not entirely sure if the words about to leave her mouth were something you should be hearing. You raise an eyebrow at her when she does not continue.

“She asked you to what?” You inquire, giving her a gentle push towards answering. You move into the bathroom, which is out of view from your cousin. You leave the door open as you get changed, still wanting to hear what she is saying.

“…She asked me to go on a mission to Sunagakure.” Your cousin finishes. Now, this was a very bad time to answer, as you were in the middle of pulling on your pants. Involuntarily, your hands jerk, yanking the pants up to fast and you lose your footing, as your feet were still inside the pants. You crash face first onto the tile of the bathroom floor, then groan.

You sit up and quickly adjust them so they are fully on now and your feet are free. It is barely a second before your cousin comes rushing in. “[Name], are you okay?”

Other than your face heating up with embarrassment, you feel fine. Then you remember what caused you to fall down in the first place. Your features grow really scary, really fast. “What do you mean she wants you to go on a mission? You aren’t even a kunoichi!”

“I know, but it isn’t a fighting mission or anything. The Kazekage sent word to Lady Tsunade that there was a recent serial killing of some of his medical shinobi. The killer was caught, but now he is having trouble replacing the nurses as it takes time to train someone in healing. So, he asked for a few temporary replacements.” She answers and you can see where she is going with that.

Because your cousin is one of the best medical shinobi, ever though she does not know it herself, Lady Tsunade wanted to send her, and probably a few others, to help the Kazekage. Since there are very little problems in Konoha right now, the Hokage can spare a few of the nurses, which Konoha has a surplus of.

You realize you cannot argue with this. Your cousin will not be put in immediate danger nor can you really argue with her reasoning, as you would send your cousin, too, if your roles were reversed. However, that does not mean you are all that willing to accept your cousin being out of your range for however long this takes. It might be temporary, but even temporary assignments can last for up to five months, plus the time it takes to get there and come back.

“Fine, but I am talking to Lady Tsunade about this. I want to know who will be going with you.” You reply, unpleased, but knowing that this is all you can do. No doubt, you will make someone promise to watch over her and keep her safe. But first, you want to know how long this is expected to take.

~Time Skip~

Slowly, the cliffs of the hidden village come into view and you find yourself looking in awe at the very well hidden place that you would inevitably be spending the next three months or so in. You are not entirely sure how you got roped into this situation, but you are happy enough that you can continue to protect your loudmouth cousin, who is good at making friends, and enemies.

As one of the three escorts, you take the rear on the group of fifteen. The two, one walking in front and the other in the middle acting as a medical shinobi herself, have not spoken a word since the team left the village. Together with twelve medical shinobi, one of them being your cousin, you have been on this trek for five days now. If you were alone or with other kunoichi, it would be much faster, but since the medical shinobi cannot move as fast, everyone had to slow their pace down.

The two other escorts are people you have never met before and you did not even know they existed until you met them in the Hokage’s office. Apparently, Lady Tsunade had been expecting you and already was prepared to send you on the mission as the third member of the three-man squad. You get the very distinct feeling that at least one of the three is ANBU, but they apparently are not ANBU on this mission.

You do know that both of them will be heading back to Konoha when they have finished escorting the medical shinobi. You, though, will remain as the bodyguard for the medical shinobi in case something happens and they need protection. Nevertheless, that is merely just a cover, as she knows that you would hate leaving your cousin alone in a foreign country, even if it is allied with Konoha.

After a moment, you shake yourself free from the thoughts, not wanting them to slow your response time. Not that it really matters any more, now that you are at the edge of Suna. Without noticing it, you passed right through the passage leading to Suna and entered the village. Another five minutes, and you are standing in front of the Hokage’s office.

The medical shinobi wait outside with one of the escorts while you and the escort you believe to be ANBU go inside to report your arrival to the Kazekage. You are more than a little curious about what the famous, and previously infamous, Kazekage looked like. You’ve heard stories and many people have explained what he looked like to you, but you have never seen him yourself. Not even a picture has been shown to you. All you know is that he was the Jinchuuriki for the Ichibi, has red hair, and is supposedly very scary.

What you find is the complete opposite of what you expected. The Kazekage looks to be the same age as you, still too young to have such an influential position. His hair is as red as the snow is white, with pale green-blue eyes that are soft and far from violent. He is shorter than you expected, and you have to admit that he is kind of cute. Though, not in a boyish charm way, but in a slightly romantic way. However, you’d never admit this openly to anyone, not even your cousin.

There is one thing that is bothering you. Even though you could swear that you have never seen a picture of the Kazekage before, you feel like you know him. Almost as if you have seen him before now, which makes no sense. How could you possibly have seen him if this is your first time meeting.

“Lord Kazekage, we were sent here from Konoha to escort the twelve medical shinobi. One of our kunoichi, [Name], will be staying here as the guardian. My other partner and I will leave tomorrow morning.” The normally quiet man says, bowing his head in respect quickly. You also bow your head for a moment, remembering your manners.

It takes all your strength not to stare at him again, as you do not want him to think anything bad about what your gaze could mean. After all, if someone is staring at you, it usually is not for a good reason and for someone who is feared by most, it would not be hard to come to a bad conclusion, you think.

~Time Skip~

It is a week into your mission. All the medical shinobi have been sent about, most of them remaining in the hospital, while the nurses with fighting skills were sent on missions with certain Suna teams. Your sister has stayed in the village the entire time and you have as well.

There are times when you see the Konoha medical shinobi off, but you do nothing more than that, as you are supposed to stay in the village, as asked by the Kazekage. It is not that he is worried you will do something, but he needs you in the village at the moment, though you wish he would specify why.

Nothing has happened over the last week and you are beginning to wonder why he wanted you here. However, your questions are to be answered soon, as he has finally called you to his office. But, where you ended up, was not his office, but his private room. This confused you at first, but then you realized there might be something on his mind that he cannot talk about where there might be people listening, like the advisers on his council.

Instead of calming you, it just made you all the more nervous, wondering if you did something wrong or said something you should not have. After all, what other reason would he want to discuss something with you alone? You raise your hand to knock on the door, but it opens inwardly before you can even so much as touch the light wood.

“Come in,” the Kazekage says, his voice almost a whisper, but there is a certain commanding tone in it that makes you obey right away. Even at his age, he has the air of a ruler and warrior, giving everybody no chance to challenge his commands. No wonder he became the Kazekage.

“What can I do for you, Lord Kazekage?” You ask, feeling nervous and jittery. Your hands clasp behind your back to hiding the small tremors going through them. It is not the fact that he was a Jinchuuriki that bothers you, but the fact that you are currently in the Kazekage’s room and are unsure of what this is about. Somehow, this feels like a private war meeting.

“I have a mission for you and you alone. But if this conflicts with your orders from Tsunade or you do not feel comfortable doing a mission for me, tell me now and we will forget this ever happened.” He says, standing between you and the door, with his arms crossed, but not in a menacing way. He seems almost…worried.

You think it over for a moment. If it had been the Hokage, you would have agreed to the mission right away, but he is not your shinobi leader. Your villages might be allied, but that does not mean you would feel totally comfortable with following the orders of someone you do not know nor respect. But then, the suspense of not knowing would eventually get to you and you would regret never accepting. However, if you accept, you have no clue what is waiting for you. It might be better not knowing.

It only takes another couple of seconds. What is not worth knowing about? No matter how dangerous it is, the truth is that it is always better to know than to remain in the dark. You have had this philosophy for many years and it always comes in handy, giving you a chance to do things you normally would not.

“I’ll do it,” You reply, your words confident despite your inner turmoil. He seems to doubt you for a moment, but you meet his emotionless gaze with your equally as calm face. You are ready for the worst, but, luckily, the worst is not what you get.

“As you know, there was a serial killer attacking the doctors. That man was captured, but his accomplice wasn’t. I only recently found out who that man was. But without proof, I can do nothing. He is a part of my shinobi force and is very careful when anyone I assign is looking, which leads me to believe someone else is helping him.” He explains. The Kazekage pauses to give you a moment of thought, which you use gratefully.

So this is why he wanted to meet in private, away from the public eye. To anyone watching, it would look like you were merely here on a social call, not here to discuss a rather urgent matter. Your train of thought switches to another topic.

From what he has told you, there is another serial killer on the loose and he could very well be gunning for any one of the Konoha medical shinobi, your cousin included. Your blood boils at the thought of him aiming for your cousin, but you realize how irrational that would be. There are many others and there is no guarantee that he is aiming for any of the shinobi from Konoha, he might just be after the Suna nurses. Still, like you mentioned, there is no guarantee for anything. His aim could be any number of things, you just do not know.

You barely hesitate even a second before wording the next thing to come to mind. “When do I start?”

~Time Skip~

It is barely two weeks later that you are tailing him when you notice something is off. Ever since you started two weeks ago, you have noticed that the man has a set time to be at certain places. The man is, in fact, a member of Gaara’s own council. Or, at least, he was until he was fired about a year ago, before Gaara came to office.

You pause when you realize that you no longer think of Gaara as the Kazekage, but more as a friend and partner on this mission. Every night, you would report to his private quarters and give him in perfect details everything that has happened through the day you spent watching the man. No murders have happened in the last couple of weeks, but that does not mean the mission is over. You have found evidence, even if not condemning evidence, that he might have had continuous contact with the real murder.

After week one came and went, Gaara got tired of you constant addressing him as ‘Lord Kazekage’ and told you to call him by his given name, Gaara. Though, in public, you both agreed it would best to keep up appearances of barely knowing each other. But, in private, you call each other by your first names with teasing honorifics, such as –chan and –kun.

Today is the end of week two and you are beginning to wonder if he will ever make his move. Apparently, you are not the only one being impatient, though. You notice when the man you are following suddenly veers off his set path and enters and alleyway.

Instead of speeding up or making the mistake of giving away the fact that you are following him, you continue to walk, even when you are already past the alleyway, which you take notice as you pass by that he is, in fact, watching for anyone that follows him in. You have passed that alley enough times to know that it is a dead end and are not stupid enough to enter it like he was hoping for.

You turn the corner to go down another street and notice that the tables have turned and you are now the one being following. You sigh inwardly. It was inevitable that this happen, after all, you just did not expect it to happen so soon. Every shinobi, even the older, retired ones will eventually notice is they are being tailed, no matter how skilled at sneaking you might be.

Ignoring the man, you fake a yawn, which you cover with the back of your hand and act as if nothing has changed at all. You look down at your wrist, which is hidden by the sleeve of your Chuunin jacket, acting as if you are looking at a watch. Slowly, your eyes widen in a false surprise and shock, and then you swear loudly, certainly loud enough for the man following you to hear.

You then start dashing in a random direction, wondering if he will follow you or not. When you see no stalker of any kind, you take a sharp right and enter the local flower shop. Since the surrounding area is made completely of desert sand, there are very few flowers in the shop, as they only get brought in once a week, the next shipment coming tomorrow. Still, it provides you with the cover you need and you crouch behind one of the indoor stands.

The flower woman frowns at you, but when you put a finger to your lips and shake your head, she gets the idea that you need to stay hidden and acts no different than she was before you came in. Thirty seconds later, the man you had been tailing runs past the shop, not even bothering to look in. You wait another four minutes in case he doubles before you stand up and stretch your now sore legs.

With thanks to the woman, you leave the shop and look both ways before running directly to the Kazekage’s office. He then sends you to his room, promising he will be there shortly. But before he comes in, you get the distinct idea that, whatever it is that man is planning, he is planning to carry it out tonight.

~Time Skip~

You sigh, looking up once more at the bright, but welcome sun. When you return to Konoha tomorrow, everything will go back to normal. You will certainly miss Sunagakure very much, as well as the people in it. You have spent the last three and a half months here and the village has grown on you and you on it.

Two and a half months ago, you successfully captured the evil man and put him behind bars. Since then, Suna and its people have given you respect and gratitude, and there is not one that unhappy to see you go. At least, not one outside the jail.

All but one of the medical shinobi are returning to Konoha with you. That one happens to be your cousin, who you feel very, very uncomfortable leaving. Or, you would, had you not been leaving her in the perfectly capable hands of the famous Kazekage, Gaara. Still…you would stay if you could, but Lady Tsunade would kill you if she found out you left your duty to remain just to watch over one person, who is safe, while leaving the others to fend for themselves.

One of the reasons you assume that your cousin is staying is because they are still low on nurses and her help would be greatly appreciated. However, you get the feeling that there is another reason that is only obvious to you, who has known her for a long time. It that reason involves a guy.

One of the male employees of the hospital has caught her eye, and you noticed this only a few days ago. Not that you can really blame her though, as the man is rather handsome. You would rather her return home and find another guy, one that does not live so far away, but from the way she looks at him, you no longer get the feeling that your hope would be possible. Her feelings have graduated from more than a simple crush.

“Lady [Last Name],” calls a young man in his teens, using the name people have been referring to you as since the arrest, “Lady [Last Name]!”

You stop, having been in the middle of running an errand before packing for your long trip tomorrow. It should be a long few days, and for that, you will need enough supplies to make it through the travels. The young teen runs up to you, out of breath, but seeming to be carrying news. From his face, you can tell it is news you will want to hear, though, whether it is good or bad news, only time can tell.

“Yes, what is it?” You ask, curious, but remaining cautious as well. No use in letting your guard down in case the message he is carrying is not, in fact, a good one. The boy pauses to fully catch his breath before speaking once more.

“TheKazekagewantstoseeyouinhisoffice.” The boy blurts out, too fast for you to make out. You blink multiple times, your eyes widening at the rapid use of words that you could not hear. Finally, once you realize that no amount of thinking about it will reveal the answer, you ask for him to repeat himself. The boy apologizes, “Sorry, I’m kind of excited. This is my first mission, even if it’s a small one.”

“That is alright, just give me the message once more, please.” You answer, winking at him. The young man grins from ear to ear and you find yourself smiling back.

“The Lord Kazekage wants to see you in his office.” The boy replies, making a show of carefully saying the words with a focused face. You hide your chuckle with a smile, letting him know that you appreciate his efforts. You tell the boy that he did well on his mission and that you’ll put a word in with Gaara.

You wait for the boy to disappear as he runs off to report his mission to have ended, then jump onto the nearest roof and go from rooftop to rooftop until you are dropping through the open window of the Kazekage’s office. Gaara does not even flinch when you appear next to him, taking it all into stride as he stands up and leads you out of his office, directly to his private quarters, where you always meet.

At first, you were surprised that he would still want to meet there, as the private meetings ended when the man was arrested and everything came into light. However, you guess he must have some other private matter to attend to, or he would not have brought you here. Instead of asking him, you wait until he starts.

Expecting it to take more time before he spoke, you were caught off guard when he suddenly made a request. “Would you consider staying for a while more in my village?” He inquires, drawing your full attention. You hesitate, not entirely sure what kind of diplomatic answer to give.

“I apologize, but the Hokage has made it clear that I am to return with the departing Konoha doctors.” You answer, hoping that your words would be the correct response to such a request. “But can I ask why?”

He simply ignores your first question, already asking one of his own. “If I sent word to the Hokage that I needed your assistance for an extended amount of time, she would most likely allow you to stay. However, what I am asking is, would you consider staying?”

Finally, you hesitate. You do rather like it here, and you would miss the scenery you have grown so used to. However, there is one thing that you would miss most of all. Gaara. Over the time, you have developed a strong bond with the mysterious man, a bond that ties you in friendship…and possibly something a little stronger than that. You are certain, though, that you are the only one that feels this way and have pushed your feelings out of your work.

“What reason would I have for staying? What else do you need me to do?” You ask, not giving him an answer until you are sure of all the details. If you were to agree, you might be agreeing to do a lot more than just hang around. You might eventually end up Konoha’s diplomat or something else unpleasant.

Gaara pauses to think about this, giving you the impression he did not, in fact, have a reason for you to stay. This makes you raise an eyebrow at the strange man, confused as to why he would want you to stay if he did not have a reason.

As the silence stretches between you, he eventually replies. “I want you to stay with me,” he says simply. The way he says it is so casual that you almost nod your head in agreement, as if that makes sense. However, you freeze mid-motion.

“Huh?”

“I want you to stay with me.” He repeats, proving that you did not hear him incorrectly the first time. You hesitate once more, afraid to answer as it could very well snap you out of the very great dream you are having. However, when you pinch yourself, you are still standing in the room. Then, to make sure you understand, he adds, “I may not truly understand the meaning of the word ‘love’, but I can safely say that I ‘like’ you.”

Finally, you answer. “You are the Kazekage, and I am a kunoichi from another country. It’s the whole forbidden-love issue that you only find true in books. Though, I guess, it’s happening now…I mean, it isn’t like we could start over. I’m not a kunoichi of your village, which could very well make me your enemy in the future.”

“Why not? I’m sure the Hokage wouldn’t mind.” Gaara replies and you frown. Why not what? However, he continues before you can ask his meaning. “I am Gaara, Kazekage of this land. Would you, [Name], become one of Sunagakure’s permanent residents?”

You think of all the things that the Hokage would say. Many bad things come to mind, but then, you see the Hokage’s smile and remember all the good days you had with her. How the older woman joked about how you never paid attention to men. And how she said that she would support you all the way when the time came, even if she might not entirely like the situation.

“First, can I ask one question?” You inquire, not sure if this is the best time, but knowing that you probably will not get another chance. He nods slowly, as if not sure that he will like this question. “Have we met somewhere before?”

Even after all this time, the feeling that you have seen him somewhere before will not leave you mind. He looks at you for a long moment, most likely trying to figure out if you have met before. However, he eventually shakes his head. “No, I am sure I would remember. It is possible you saw me at the Chuunin exams.”

You shake your head as well. “No, I was on a mission at that time and did not return until a few weeks after the exam.” You reply, already feeling lost in the reason that you might know him. However, something in your mind lingers, just barely out of reach, but it does draw your attention.

When you focus on the thought, it seems to disappear for a moment, but you try harder and it comes rushing into your mind, filling you with pictures of Gaara. However, these ‘pictures’ are from a dream…the dream you had right before leaving for Suna. A smile lights your face. “I saw you in a dream.”

Gaara seems confused, as well as amused by this, even though he does not show it with anything but his eyes. “A dream?”

“Yeah, and you saved me from the nightmares I have been having.” You reply, suddenly feeling very relieved to have found the answer and happy that it was a good reason to have known him.

Gaara seems to think this over, and it seems like he has something else to say, but he stops himself, and instead asks, “And what is your answer to my other question?”

Finally, you nod. “If I can, then yes, I would happily become one of your people, Lord Kazekage.” You answer, giving him a deep bow of respect, while trying to contain your excitement at the same time.

“Now, would you, [Name], accept my proposal to go on a date?”

…

………

……………

…………………

“Yes.”