Romancing the Kazekage- A Gaara Love Story

The Tower

Hello, yes, you're not seeing things, this is really a knew chapter. Yes, almost 10 years after the first one. Hope you enjoy it :)

***

Our goddess incarnate looked like an oil painting as she sat still in her carriage which was yet to start its journey. Her petal pink bottom lip was pushed up against her thumb as she bit down gently on her flesh. Her brow was slightly furrowed, her eyes misted over as she was lost in thought. Sat in a dress of caramel silk with a gold trim, she looked like the golden rays of sunshine one only sees when dusk approaches. No gemstones adorned her today, just bands of pure gold wrapped around her ankles, wrists and neck. A gold band was strung up in her hair but partially hidden by an elaborately embroidered veil that was so heavy her neck was beginning to ache.

She was peering out of the window of her carriage with a look of longing and nostalgia; whose shadow was she looking for? Whose footsteps was she longing to hear? The birds of the garden were wondering these things as they watched, perched in the palm trees that lined the walkway leading to the door of the Marble Palace. The whole garden seemed to stop and stare as though waiting for the young woman to command it to move, as though allowing her to hear and see everything as she waited, as she watched.

"Dearest, Uta (A/N: poem), it has been too long." The girl stirred as someone opened the door to her carriage and got in to sit opposite her. Suigetsu sat back with a large grin that faded quickly as he had to swallow hard the nerves that erupted inside him when being appraised by her. Those electric blue eyes flashed up at him, so inviting and intense when lined with a slick flick of black. She dragged her thumb down her bottom lip slightly as she opened her mouth to greet the man.

"Feels like years," (A/N: Yes, thank you Ai), she nodded gently in greeting, her gold earrings tinkling gently, a slight smirk lifting up her lips as she saw how nervous the vicious man instantly became. He looked a little tired after travelling all the way to escort her from the Marble Palace to The Tower in preparation for her entry into battle. At this thought Ai let out a long breath to soothe herself, smoothed her dress down with the palms of her hands and returned to looking out  of the window, back at the Marble Palace she had competently ruled.

Suigetsu followed her eyes to focus on the Palace and watched as her entourage of girls were saying goodbye to Lena as she who was the only girl chosen to follow Ai to the next location. It would be incredibly unsafe but Lena had acted well within her character and laughed defiantly when Ai suggested she should stay at the palace with the rest of the girls. Looking back to Ai, Suigetsu's heart softened a little as he saw the longing in her eyes. He knew what she was longing for and cleared his throat, annoyed at himself for feeling so nervous in front of her, to tell her:

"He is okay, you know," Suigetsu said in what he hoped was a supportive tone, "he wants to make his way back to you. He will make his way back to you." He blinked as Ai turned to him suddenly, "Your...highness," he added sheepishly at the end; what do you call the mortal incarnate of a goddess?

Ai smiled softly at him, "you may call me Ai, Suigetsu," she said sweetly, "we are friends, are we not?" He nodded in return as Ai went back to looking out the window.

Suigetsu knew perfectly well who she was looking for. But to him, the strange thing was, it looked as though Sasuke was right there with them. Anyone could see him left in little clues all over her. The black line around her eyes was the darkness of his hair, the red on her lips were the red of his eyes. The small bruise on her wrist from his thumb as he loved her in the only way Sasuke would know how. The glow in her skin was from the heat of his touch, the way she looked up through her eyelashes seductively was to beckon only him.

"We will reach The Tower in a few hours," Suigetsu spoke softly, unsure if Ai could even hear him.

***
For those visiting The Tower, there is never any real need to ask how close you are to arriving at your destination. If you were foolish enough to do so, you wold be asked to listen closely for an answer and as you draw closer you will hear it. It starts as a gentle rumble as though you are catching echoes of a far away thunder storm and within moments it changes and transforms into the growl of a tiger and soon the sound of the sea swallows up any other sound around you. The Tower is the only remaining part of a fort built during the second Shinobi war. It lies between a beach and Sunagakure. A beach which has witnessed battle before, but more recently witnessed the blossoming of the Blood-love between the young Kazekage and a courtesan. It was the place they had first kissed.