Resonance (Kakashi x OC, Gaara x OC) -- Book 2

Chapter 13: Butterflies

Sunlight just barely started peaking through the window, a small patch of pink showing through the surrounding dark. Gaara was still there. His eyes opened when he felt her move.

"Gaara-sama," she began softly.

His nose was just inches from hers. She shivered involuntarily. She hadn't been so close to a human's face it felt like in forever. But the fluttering she felt was not because he was merely human.

"Please," Gaara stopped her, "Only Gaara."

"Gaara," she started again, "I have a lot of things to apologize for from yesterday..."

"I can't say I understand everything you're feeling, but I definitely understand having trouble with trust. There's nothing to apologize for," he said.

"It's not that," Keiko sighed. She couldn't talk about her lingering feelings about Kakashi with the guy she was supposed to marry. This was about moving on and joining the villages. "I just have to learn to let go of some things and move on, and I guess I haven't forgiven myself for that choice yet. Since I thought we lost you, something about you has given me feelings that are confusing. I'm not sure if it's because we were a lot alike, but I think I cared about you even then more than I had a right to. It was difficult for me to come to terms with that again when I saw you again."

While Gaara still had trouble working out some feelings, he hadn't really experienced anything quite so complex as that. But then again, he wasn't a woman. He already had assumed she dealt with difficulty over the loss of Kakashi after last night. "Do you see the faces of those you lost," she had asked. But one thing he did get out of her words is she cared about him and she wasn't sure what to do with that yet.

"Like I said, I may not understand everything, but we have a long time to figure it out, together."

She nodded.

He went back to his room and changed. She did the same. When he came back, he asked her to join him outside. They went up to the cliffside and looked out over the village as the sun rose higher, reaching its fingers across the sky. Gaara began in a Horse Stance before shifting. Tai chi, she marveled. He brought her up here to do Tai Chi.

"I find it helps me center myself," he explained.

She fell in next to him and prepared to join him before Baki appeared.

"I'm sorry to bother you Kazegage-sama and Keiko-sama. We received word back from the Leaf village."

They went back down to the village and were surprised to find Naruto and Sakura already up eating breakfast at the dining table in the long hall.

"Bushy brow is coming," Naruto said while stuffing his face, "Shikamaru's team too."

Sakura looked at him in disgust.

"Any additional word on Orochimaru's movements?" asked Gaara.

"No Kazekage-sama. Nothing," Baki replied.

Neji's and Shikamaru's teams arrived without their Sensei's around midmorning. Now that Neji had been made a Jounin, they were sent out alone.

"Well I guess we got here pretty quickly I suppose, but getting up so early was a real drag," moaned Shikamaru.

Temari sidled towards Shikamaru and started making conversation. Keiko noticed the advance and stifled a laugh. Sakura giggled.

"I don't mean to cut the reunion short," Neji said, "but we have to get back. We have a briefing first thing tomorrow morning regarding the Akatsuki and Orochimaru."