The Return (Book 2 of It's Not Forever) COMPLETE

Chapter 4

    I arrive at Suna's gates the following evening and slip past the guards undetected. I quickly and silently make my way toward the Kazekage's office, using the shadows to move without being seen. I want to see if I can surprise my target. I disguise my chakra before I get too close to the building then slip inside. I climb the stairs after finding the lobby empty and stop in front of a window near the office, then climb out of it. I jump carefully over to the next one, landing so close to the edge that my legs won't be seen in the window. I peek in to find it empty and dark, so I slink in, staying close to the wall until I reach the desk, then I sit on the chair, propping my legs up on the desk to wait. This should be fun. A few minutes later, the door opens and the light turns on. I look up from under my hood at the red haired man glaring at me. Sand whips dangerously around his feet before launching itself at me. I lazily lift a hand and the sand shudders to a stop before losing shape and spilling onto the floor.
"Nice try, Gaara-kun."
"Who are you?" He asks, obviously disturbed that I'd eliminated his attack with ease.
"Don't you remember me, Gaara-kun? I'm insulted." I purr, smirking a little.
His face tints slightly pink at my words. I stand and make my way over to him, stopping very close to him.
"Want to play a game? You have three guesses as to my intentions. If you win, I'll tell you who I am, if you lose, we'll see what happens." I whisper the last part in his ear and I can feel the tension rolling off of him.
"I'm not going to entertain your little games. Who are you?"
"Aw, you're no fun Gaara-kun." I sigh, then pull my hood down.
His eyes widen in shock and I wait until it's slightly set in before hugging him. He eventually returns the hug but I can tell he's confused.
"I came to visit, I hope it's alright. Konoha was... boring to say the least. So I thought I'd spend some time with my favorite little Kazekage." I mutter, raising my arm to muss up his hair before releasing him.
He's gotten taller, still four inches taller than I am. I barely grew in the past two years, I imagine I'll be short forever.
"It's fine. You're welcome here as long as you want." He looks at me strangely for a moment before muttering, "You've changed."
"Trust me, I know. You seem to have changed as well. Shukaku is gone? You also are more talkative and seem friendlier. Never thought I'd see the day."
"The Akatsuki extracted him, it killed me but my life was restored in exchange for Granny Chiyo's."
"Aw, I loved Granny Chiyo. I'm glad you're alive though. So, want some dinner? I'll cook if you'd like, we can catch up?"
"Let me sign a few more papers and lock up. You're welcome to go on to the house if you'd like."
"Does your brother still live there?" I ask, causing him to look up from the papers.
"Yes."
"Then your house may be levelled before your return, but I will try not to kill him."
"Please try not to."
I walk out of the building and make my way to his house, and to my surprise I remember its location exactly. I enter the house quietly and make my way to the kitchen to dig around for something to cook. I love food and I'm sure Gaara will actually eat if I make it. I may be nice and prepare some for the little pervert as well. It was two years ago, after all. I find some chicken and rice and beans and decide to cook it all together, something relatively quick and easy without being instant ramen. I dig out pots and pans and turn on the stove before unclipping my headphones from my waist and putting them on. I find a song to listen to and sing along quietly as I work.
"Stop it, the night moon, I hate it, the sound of the waves at high tide
Please don't swallow everything with such abandon
Ignoring time, and shaking from the pulsation
Don't rely on your body right now
in this situation when you're full of desire
You ignore the signals
But if you're going to follow your dreams
Than this calm pace might be unfit
Feel it once more, the overflowing black river bank
Flowing, being pulled along, cocktail light, it's fine like this.
You can see in the sky, wrapped in clouds
The limits of comfort, and then
Let me listen to your heart beat, and let me drown myself in love
The people who get in the way must die
If you just watch them die, good enough
Putting it into words is meaningless
Ah shall we give into our libidos?
That summer color is now our crest
And to the bright place where the waves, wind, desire,
and rain are at their peak.
The game of dice between these two has come quite far
If you glance, glance, it's there, next to you
La la la la la la la la la la la the small river bank."
I turn around to grab a spice from the counter and find Kankuro leaning in the doorway staring at me. I choose to ignore him and continue cooking. I can no longer ignore him when he moves between the stove and myself, demanding to know why I was singing and cooking in his kitchen.
"I was hungry, and because singing makes work seem to go by faster." I mutter as if it's obvious.
He huffs in annoyance before rephrasing his question to ask why I was in his house and who I was.
"I am a guest of the Kazekage and I offered to prepare him dinner. Now, if you don't mind, your shirt is on fire." I mutter again, watching as he jumps away from the stove to put out the small fire on the back of his shirt.
I smirk in amusement as he dances around the kitchen before getting it put out. He glares at me and I return the favor before focusing on the chicken again.
"Who are you?"
"You seem to be hard of hearing. I am a guest of the Kazekage."
"What is your name?" He growls and I can tell I've aggravated him. So much fun.
"You should know who I am, after all you tried to assault me a few years back."
"You're that annoying sound girl from the Leaf! Ew."
He walks out after that, slamming the door behind him. I roll my eyes and step away from the stove to find a drink.
Just as I finish plating the food and setting the table, the door opens again and Gaara walks in. He remarks on the fact the house is still standing and commends me for it. I smirk and tell him what happened, causing him to smirk as well. I gesture for him to sit at the head of the table while I take the seat to his right. While we eat, I ask him questions about what had happened on his side of the world while I was gone. For the most part, things had been almost normal until Deidara and Sasori came after him and he died. Granny Chiyo saved him, then he returned to Suna to continue running the village, though his outlook on life seems to have changed.
"I'm glad you are happier now, Gaara-kun. It's important to be happy."
"Like you have much room to talk about happiness. You faked yours for most of your life, and are faking it now. You're not as locked away as you think you are. I can see it in your eyes and the way your fingers constantly shake. You're hiding things and making yourself break."
I drop my fork in shock and stare down at my plate. "You're wrong. I'm perfectly happy."
He sighs and I can feel him looking at me, trying to see if I'll suddenly break and he'll be proven right.
"What's the point of keeping yourself so locked away? It won't kill you to talk to someone every once in a while."
"Everyone I've opened up to is dead except for two, and one has gone power hungry and the other is... never mind..."
"Then open up to someone else. You may not trust everyone but you have to find someone worth the risk."
I let out a small laugh at that. "You told me that two years ago, on the rooftop."
"And I still mean it Kaida. You can't just depend on yourself your whole life. There are a lot of people who care about you and you shut them out."
I look up at him and sigh. "It's hard to trust when everyone walks away, either calling you a monster or abandoning you."
"I know the feeling Kaida. I grew up the same way, under different circumstances, but still. I have learned to trust the ones that are important to me. I trust my siblings, and I trust you. I may not trust everyone, but the few that matter are all that counts."
"When did you get so wise and philosophical?" I mutter, trying not to smile.
"I've always been wise and philosophical, you were just blinded by my looks."
That makes me laugh and I shake my head in disbelief. "Did you really just say that?"
"Only to make you laugh."
  Gaara insisted on cleaning the dishes since I'd cooked the meal, and after a lot of senseless bickering about it, I caved in and sat at the table while he did it. I kept making funny faces at him while his back was turned, but I was found out when I noticed he could see me from the reflection in the window. I continued doing it anyway, because well... I could? Afterward he takes me to the guest room I'd stayed in when I was here to train for exams so I can shower and put my stuff away. I'm glad I'd remembered to put fresh clothes in the bag to last for a little while until I have to wash them. I mock salute him before digging through the clothing for something resembling pajamas. I settle on a pair of loose pants and a dark red tank top before going to the bathroom to shower. When I step out and dress, I notice in the mirror that the dark circles under my eyes match the darkness of Gaara's. The scars covering my body no longer disturb me, I've owned up to what has happened to me and made peace. The red eyes however still throw me off. It's only been a couple of weeks since my death and it's definitely hard to get used to your eyes suddenly being different. I sigh as my pants sag down a little bit, despite the string being pulled tight. I've lost too much weight I suppose. I brush my hair out, which takes a while when your hair reaches your hips, then braid it back out of the way. 

Gaara is waiting on me when I come back out and grabs my hand before using his sand to float us up to the rooftop. }