The Man Who Lived

Chapter 7: A Grain of Sand

Tenten walked up to where Gaara was sitting. His eyes were on the ground and he looked as if he were in deep thought. His hands rested on his lap, folded neatly. She hadn't spoken to Gaara very much and still found it surprising that he was the same age as herself yet he carried so much maturity and responsibility. 

"Hiya!" Tenten waved semi-awkwardly. "I'm going to be your guide to the Sand Village!" she propped one hand on her hip and held the other to her heart, "I can assure you a safe and smooth journey!"

She bowed respectfully and when she looked up, Gaara had only turned his head to address her. The rest of his body language had remained the same.

"Thank you. Shall we?" he responded formally.

As they set off passed the gates of Konoha, Gaara walked ahead of her and continued to look off in this distance.

"Kazekage, is there something on your mind?" she asked hesitantly.

He remained silent at first until...

"You are a friend of Naruto-kun," he began.

Tenten wondered if this was a question or a statement.

"You all have grown a lot together," this was definitely a statement. "And in that time, Naruto fell in love. Have you ever been in love, Tenten?"

Tenten was stunned by the outright question and the emotion was filled almost immediately after with confusion. Had she ever been in love? Could she say she was in love with Neji? For as long as she had known him, he was stuck-up, over-invested in himself, and never showed an interest in her.

She began to wonder if his miraculous awakening gave their budding love an excuse, or if it actually meant something. She hadn't thought of getting married like Naruto and Hinata. 

"Hinata had loved Naruto for as long as I can remember. Probably for as long as she can remember. It only took for him to realize it," she said aloud.

Gaara nodded, "And Naruto liked Sakura, didn't he?"

Tenten laughed, "That was more of a crush than anything more, I'd say."

Gaara's brows knitted together in confusion.

"What's the difference?"

"Why are you so interested?" she pried.

"To be honest, Tenten," he sighed, "I struggled a lot with love. In every context. When I met Naruto was when I finally got around to understanding friendship. And the importance of family," he added. "Even now having understood that, I am surprised Temari and Kankuro stood around as long as they did. I wasn't exactly a walk in the park growing up..."

The sun through the tree cover and rays bounced off their skin. Tenten couldn't help but notice how much softer Gaara's eyes had become. His pale skin contrasted his bright auborn hair and the carving on his forehead grew more and more exposed as the wind gusted around them.

"I think when you're in love, you'll know. It isn't something that has to be expressed in words or taught to you. You'll look at someone, whether it's someone you've known for ages or someone you've only just met," she shrugged, "your heart will just know."

Gaara was reminded of the pain in his chest from when he was younger and felt his hand instinctively reach for that place in his heart.

"Kazekage!" Tenten pushed Gaara down just as his sand was approaching. An explosive tag attached to a kunai dived into Gaara's barrier of sand.

Tenten grabbed her kusarigama and held the chain over her head in a spinning motion.

Faceless ninja surrounded them, dressed entirely in black. They looked like walking shadows. They bore no headbands or any trace that hinted at their origin.