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

Chapter 27

    Shikamaru leaves us as we pass his house, stopping to hug Kaida and ruffle her hair before saying goodbye. Temari stands in the doorway looking concerned but I know that he will fill her in in a moment. I put my arm around Kaida's waist and she leans into me and we walk to the apartment in silence. The thunder and lightning has given way to just a downpour of rain and strong winds. She unlocks the door and we step inside. She's completely dry and my clothes are soaked and dripping. I wait in the entryway as she goes to get me a towel. I do my best to dry off enough to stop dripping before going to the bathroom to change into dry clothes. I come back out to find her sitting on the bed holding the notebook. She looks up at me then away. I sit next to her and pull her into my lap.
"So, want to tell me what's going on?"
"I can't be with you anymore. You're the Kazekage, you need strong people by your side to protect you and I can't be that. I'm a useless ninja and I don't want to be a burden on you. I wouldn't forgive myself if something bad happened to you and I couldn't do anything to protect you."
I sigh and kiss the top of her head. "I am the Kazekage and I do need strong people by my side, and I do have that. Your job is not to protect me, my job is to protect you. You're not useless by any means and you have never been and never will be a burden. You are my world, Kaida, and I don't care if you can't use jutsu. I love you for you."
I hear her sniffle and her arms wrap around my neck. "I'm used to protecting people, not the other way around. I- Are you really okay with me not being a proper ninja anymore?"
"It doesn't bother me at all. I promise."
"Good. I love you Gaara-kun."
I smile slightly. "I love you too Kaida. So why did you go to the compound?"
"It was the only place I could think of to be alone. I needed to go there anyway. I hadn't been there since I left."
"Well you definitely worried everyone. Sai helped look until the storm came in and he had to go home with Ino and the baby."
"I'm sorry. I hadn't really meant to be gone that long, just hearing that from Sakura upset me."
She looks up at me with her sad face and I can't be upset at her. I kiss her forehead and she giggles, causing me to smile again.
"What did you bring back?" I ask, tilting my head toward the backpack.
"I found the notebook on my pillow. Itachi left it for me apparently and I just never knew. I took one of his old shirts and the bottle of his cologne that he'd left behind along with some of the photos I found."
She crawls out of my lap just enough to grab the bag then returns. She pulls out a small photo album and shows me the pictures. To my surprise she is in all of them. She then explains that it was the only photo album from her stay. Her stomach growls and I tell her that I'd made lunch but it's probably not good anymore. She apologizes again before insisting on cooking for me in return.
   The next morning I wake up, surprised that I slept at all. I didn't sleep while Kaida was dead, but now that she's alive again, whenever we sleep in the same bed, I can actually sleep, though not usually a full night. It's rather nice. I hear her mumble in her sleep and I feel her move around next to me. Her arm wraps around my chest as she moves closer to me. I look down at her and smile, when she sleeps is the only time that she looks at peace. I lay there a while longer, running my fingers through her hair and letting her sleep. When she finally rolls over and frees me, I carefully get up and take a shower. When I come back out, she's still asleep so I head into the kitchen to make breakfast. As I finish cooking I hear her shuffle into the room behind me. Her hair is sticking up out of her pony tail and she's rubbing her eyes like a child. I greet her and she mumbles it back before heading to the coffee pot. She sits down at her chair at the table with her knees to her chest and practically drains the cup in one go. I kiss the top of her head as I put a plate in front of her and sit down. She looks slightly more awake after eating, then shuffles back to the bedroom. She comes back out a few minutes later acting like her usual bubbly self. She hugs me and plants a kiss on my forehead before washing the dishes. I answer the door a few minutes later to find Ino standing there. The annoying blonde pushes me out of the way to tackle Kaida in the kitchen. Ino squeals about getting a day to herself and a girl's day. I sigh and dream about slamming my head through the wall. I love Kaida and I love that she has friends, but Ino grates my nerves at times. Atleast her appearance will distract Kaida enough that I can figure it all out. Kaida comes into the living room, drawing me out of my thoughts, and tells me that she was going to spend the day with Ino and Temari. I nod and she kisses me before Ino drags her out of the house. Perfect.