Rabbit Princess [Gaara] [3]

☾ 21 ☽

Tsukiko was relieved to be back home, and as she gave the moon a last look that night, she felt like it was certainly not the place she belonged. She had fantasied living there like a princess when she was a child but now... she felt sick even at the thought of being away from her friends and family here on earth, and especially Gaara. She couldn't bear to leave him.

Kakashi had greeted them the Konohagakure's gates, and Tsukiko had rushed ahead to give him a hug, receiving that essence of being safe. He had patted her head and told her to go and rest after what had happened, and that he would take care of everything.

With that Tsukiko had made her way to the Senju home, picked up that ring that she had left behind. Tsukiko let out a soft sigh as she pulled it on, and trudged to her room to sleep.

Her bed was not as grand as the one she had been forced to sleep in at the moon, but it was much more comfortable for Tsukiko as she pulled her covers over her shoulders.

The night passed by like that, and afternoon arrived before Tsukiko was awoken by Sakura, sent by Tsunade. Sakura was looking at the white-haired girl in worry and Tsukiko knew why – it was the first time in a very long time that she had slept in for so long.

"How are you feeling?" Sakura asked, sitting down next to the girl on the bed, reaching out to check on her vitals. "You don't appear to be sick, fortunately,"

"I lost a lot of Chakra," Tsukiko muttered. "I'm just tired... I think I will be fine by evening," She yawned lightly. "I'm so tired... the moon really hurts to stay upon,"

"Your curse was working up there?" Sakura asked and Tsukiko nodded, causing her to frown. "Yet that man wanted to marry you? Even knowing how much it hurt you?"

"He told me that he'll bring me to earth after marriage," Tsukiko replied. "But I would have to wait until he wiped the world clean and started civilisation anew with him, and of course, me,"

"... that sounds terrible," Sakura said, her eyes trailing over to the black wedding dress thrown all jumbled up in the corner of the room as Tsukiko was dressed in a kimono. "It looks like we arrived just in time before you got married to that person,"

"He forced me to it," Tsukiko muttered, letting out a heavy sigh at the thought. "He didn't understand that two people need to be in love to marry, I suppose..."

"Don't worry, we won't tell Gaara about this if you do not want to," Sakura replied. "He'll be really upset – you can't imagine how he was like when he heard that you had gone missing,"

"It would've been better if he didn't know, if this was resolved before it needed to be said to him," Tsukiko said. "I feel horrible about making him worry... to know that he was already stressed out with the moon falling..."

"We stalled it as long as we could," Sakura admitted. "He wanted to talk to you about the moon, and on the other hand, Kakashi Sensei felt that it would be cruel to keep this information from Gaara when he is your fiancé, not to mention, Suna and Konoha..."

Tsukiko looked down at the ring on her finger, shining white like the moon as it sat upon her stomach as she laid. She knew that no matter how much that she had thought of it to be something that only connected her and Gaara together for life, it was more than that – it connected two villages, two countries together.

"Don't mention anything about Toneri to Gaara," Tsukiko spoke up as she looked at Sakura. "But let Kakashi Sensei know that I will tell everything that happened on the moon to Gaara myself. I cannot keep secrets anymore, and Gaara deserves to know why I was kidnapped and caused him worry,"

"You've really matured up, haven't you?" Sakura asked, amused. Tsukiko gave her a look. "Anyway, you will be happy to know that your precious Gaara will be arriving in Konoha later tonight,"