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

Chapter 18: Keiko, Kidnapped

The weeks went by much the same. News kept coming that the Akatsuki were continuing their hunt, and that Itachi had been spotted near the Sand Village. They spent their days together training whenever Gaara wasn't taken by his duties as Kazekage, and at night, they made love in the darkness. Despite the closeness, Gaara felt like he was missing out on something. They only ever really talked about training during the day. When he was working, he'd see her out on the balcony sketching or she would disappear to listen to music being played somewhere in the town. He felt he still didn't really know all that much about her other than a handful of feelings. Part of him couldn't help wondering if she really did just do this because of duty and because she didn't want to be alone.

She always told him it was stupid to not talk about things, as rightly put; they were going to be together for a long time. He wasn't used to expressing these kinds of things aloud. He gathered the courage to tell her about his worry.

"I do a lot of things in the line of duty, but as you know, no one has ever been able to force me to do anything when it comes to love. I'm here because I wanted to be with you and you wanted to be with me. You always make time for me and make me a part of your life," said Keiko reassuringly, "and you know more about me than you think."

"Do you think I can train with you tomorrow?" Gaara asked recovering from the awkwardness of the conversation. "I think now that the sand demon is gone I may need to work on additional techniques. And since we have the Sharingan to contend with, I'd like to see if there's anything I can learn that's not a jutsu. I've been happy to help you with your training, but I feel like I'm still behind."

"I'd be happy to train you," Keiko said, eyes bright...but then her face fell; "Only, many of these techniques require the ability to harness magic. We may be able to go over elemental bending techniques. They use chakra as well, but I am uncertain due to that fact if the Sharingan can see it. If only we had Kakashi to..."

She paused, face going blank.

"I know what you meant. You should not feel bad about mentioning Kakashi's name around me. He's a part of you and now you're a part of me. I know you've moved on, but you can't erase your past." He paused.

"I know tomorrow is the anniversary of his death. Would you like me to visit his grave with you?" Gaara asked.

She stared at him, waves of emotion coursing through her as she felt a rush of renewed affection for Gaara. "It's not easy," said Keiko, voice shaking slightly, "At least it didn't used to be easy to make an Inu-Yōkai get choked up. My kind would say I've gone weak. Damnit. It seems like ever since I've come here I can't stop it," she said, balling her hand into a fist as she turned her face away.

"I didn't mean to make you cry," Gaara said uncertainly.

"I'm not crying...maybe a little," conceded Keiko. "You just...you are very good to me."

When Keiko woke up the next morning, she found a piano had been moved into the common room. She ran her hands over it. She hadn't played one in so long, she didn't know if she remembered how. He was always spoiling her. She felt like there was nothing she could do for him. She smiled sadly to herself. She was so selfish. Gaara spent all his spare time trying to make her happy, and she made him fear that she didn't truly love him.

She began to play quietly, trying to remember notes from songs past. She didn't notice Gaara leaning against a pillar on the other side of the room behind her, listening to her play as she got lost in the music. Gaara felt something move inside him, as if his heart skipped a beat.

Later in the morning, they set off to the Village Hidden in the Leaf. They packed a bag so they could stay there for a few days so Keiko could see her friends. They could have flown, but Keiko missed running through the trees as she once did. She stopped abruptly part way through their journey and Gaara stopped beside her, sand out swirling protectively around them.

"What is it?" he asked, eyes shifting from side to side looking for movement.

"Someone has been here recently, someone we don't want to run into," she said darkly. "Flying is too risky. Continuing on foot may be risky as well," she thought aloud. She reached into her pack and pulled out the wand that had been stowed since the last battle. She tapped them both and made them both invisible, or near invisible.

"What's that?" he asked.

"It's a charm that refracts the light. It will make us harder to spot, but I'm willing to bet it's not going to fool them for long, especially if Itachi is with him. We need to move faster."

They managed to reach the Leaf without further incident. Keiko dispelled the concealment. The stone had already been washed that day and there were flowers surrounding the memorial. A few more names had been added below "Hatake Kakashi." Keiko placed her palm to his name. Gaara stood silently watching. She drew the wand again and summoned flowers from the air and laid them at her feet. She pointed it down loosely at her side as Gaara took her hand. Tears came freely as she looked down at the ground. He felt her hand grow warm and his tingled. Flowers started to spring up in the grass all around them until they were standing in a field of white. So, this was what magic felt like, he thought looking up at the sky.

"Thank you, Gaara, for this" she whispered. He looked back to her face. Tears continued to stream down her beautiful face. "Thank you for loving me...and for forgiving me."

"Hmph, that was so very touching," said a voice from behind them. Deidara crouched on a tree branch. Somehow he managed to regain a set of arms. He leaned forward on one to peer closer at them. "Truly, you are a living work of art. It's a shame, really."

They whipped around to face him. Keiko growled when the scent of Deidara and Itachi washed over her. She couldn't understand how she missed it before. Her rekindled loss of Kakashi fueled her wrath dangerously. Gaara felt the pressure of the energy build beneath the woman standing next to him. It wasn't merely chakra. The magic he felt moments ago, he could feel it moving at an alarming rate beneath the surface of her skin.

"How wonderful," delighted Deidara. He continued mockingly, "You do know the art in an explosion. I have been looking forward to this reunion. This time you'll be coming with me. You don't need to worry about your little friend there. We don't need him anymore."

Gaara's eyes narrowed. Sand exploded out of his gourd and rushed to protect the woman he loved. He would not lose her again. A tidal wave of sand crashed through the trees. Deidara lept faster, avoiding each swipe the sand took. Finally it made a hit and knocked Deidara to the ground. The sand hardened around him and Gaara reached out his hand. "sand cof-"

Itachi stepped into view between Gaara and Deidara. Gaara's world disolved in an instant. He saw himself inside the one tailed demon, trapped as the beast had once been. They were on fire. Gaara screamed for what seemed like an eternity, even though in real life he stood wide eyed and still, no sound escaping from his mouth.

Keiko moved to shoot a curse Itachi's way, but someone grabbed her from behind. A new scent joined the ones from before. "Sleep," whispered the voice as a clammy hand pressed against her forehead. She knew no more.

"Leave it Itachi," said the voice, "we need to get going before Kabuto shows up. I don't want that pest following us back to headquarters."

When Gaara awoke from the nightmare, Keiko was gone.