Gaara of the Desert × Reader (Complete)

Gaara's POV | Chapter 1

I died and came back to life. That's not a feat everyone can achieve but I did. It was thanks to all my friends, especially Naruto. Both of us are Jinchurikis, both of us have endured the same loneliness and pain, but he fought it and made people believe in him. He inspired me to change my ways and truly believe in love.
I returned to my village after the whole Akatsuki incident and to my surprise, I was welcomed by everyone in the village. Every single person gathered to receive me at the gates.
Suddenly I heard a voice coming from the roof of one of the buildings,
"Gaara!! I'm so glad you're okay! I knew they couldn't do anything to you! I always believed in you!" I looked up to see a girl who looked familiar. I couldn't see very closely, but her aura was something I had experienced before.
"I'll be looking forward to working with you!" I said formally because I didn't want to mistake her for someone else.
I kept thinking about her while getting the "doctor's recommended rest". I received news later that the same girl was insulting me. I asked around and apparently she was cursing me because of being too cool or something, which was confusing to no end.
Apparently, this girl worked as a designer in a store too. We had gotten news about her a lot of times. Matsuri kept talking about her, about how her clothes were always original, how they were strong and comfortable but as the same time they were stylish and other girl stuff I didn't really care about. Temari heard that her new collection was of 'Bridal Gowns' and she rushed over to the girl.
" I wonder what Temari is so excited about. I don't think anyone we know is about to get married." I pondered over as I laid on my bed.
The girl seemed way too familiar to be a stranger. I felt a strong connection with her as if I was really good friends with her before but, Naruto was my first friend.
I dozed off while thinking about this.
Later,life pretty much went on normally until one day I was sleeping and was woken up by Kankuro.
"Temari has called a meeting. She says it's urgent." He rushed me.
We went to the hall and I found the same familiar girl over there, sitting in a chair and attending a formal meeting.
Temari stood forward and started,
"The Fourth Shinobi War is over and our relationship with the other Shinobi villages like Kirikagure, Kumokagure and Iwakagure has improved. But, our relationship is especially strong with the Shinobi village of the Land of Fire, Konohakagure. Now, with this step, I further plan to improve this relationship." She paused raised her right hand and continued, "I will be getting married to Nara Shikamaru, Main Advisor to Fourth Shinobi War hero and current Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto." She turned her hand to flaunt the brightly shining diamond ring.
"That's amazing Temari-san! Congratulations!" Yelled out the familiar girl almost jumping out of her seat.
I looked over, she was embarrassed and sat back down. I was surprised Temari had said 'Yes' to pineapple head. She never liked him. Ever since they met in the Chunin exams she complained about how he treated her win like a favour and how he was a lazy, good for nothing guy, but I think everyone changed after the war, including Temari.
The meeting was dismissed and the girl was talking to Temari. Congratulating her about her wedding and how she would make her the best dress. Temari was just smiling at her and blushing. She was holding hands with this girl who she probably didn't know anything about and she just was so friendly with her. It was probably because she was a girl, just like Temari.
The girl started thinking of something and left Temari alone. I walked up to her,
"Do you know her?" I asked her confused.
"You know her better than I do, Gaara." She smiled.
"Congratulations, you're getting married. It's sad that you're leaving here but I'm sure if you have decided to start a life with the Nara guy, he must be worth it." I said smilingly.
"Thank you" she smiled warmly at me too and went on ahead.
"Shikamaru is coming here. Be good with him!" She looked back over her shoulder and went on ahead.
I thought about the girl as I walked.
"I know her?" I wondered as I walked back to my room.
Temari called out to the girl and gave her a workspace. I was curious about who this girl was, so I sent my eye after her.
She worked around like a kid in a candy shop. She just was so excited about working on Temari's dress. I looked at a few designs which I didn't seem to like. She was saying something, but since it is an eye, I could only see. I couldn't understand what she was saying.
After a while, she held a drawing in front of me eye. I didn't like the design so I turned the eye. She somehow managed to understand that and held up another one. This one was better but not as good. She plopped into her chair working on another one.
I noticed a design piled up and covered in other papers. It looked familiar. It looked like the wedding dress our mother wore in her photos. I tried to get a better look but I couldn't.
Suddenly, she pushed the papers aside and held the paper in front of the eye. I stared at it as it reminded me of my mother. It made me wish I could've been with her for a longer.
I went to the her room, and she has put a big version of the same dress on the board that she had.
She suddenly went into the corner of a room, closed her eyes and muttered something to herself. She had one hand in the air like she was holding somebody. The other hand was just pinched halfway through midair. She then walked towards the table, stopped in the middle and turned around. She then continued to walk towards the board.
She opened her eyes when she reached the board and started doing something to the huge drawing. She was in the middle, so I could see what she was doing. She secretively drew something and then presented it to my eye.
I saw her face as I stopped my jutsu.
"What do you think?" She asked my eye excitedly "Ne? Ne?"
"It is beautiful" I couldn't stop myself. I didn't quite understand what was so captivating about her, but she had something that was very familiar.
She smiled brightly, laughed a lot, befriended everyone... Ofcourse! She was familiar because she behaved so much like Naruto!
The moment I realized that, I wanted to get to know her more. Be one of her friends and make her one of my friends.
"Gaara! I-I-I-I mean, Kazekage-sama!" She exclaimed as soon as she saw me and instantly became formal.
"Just Gaara is fine." I insisted trying to be her friend.
"I think it still needs a little oomph. Like to show people she princess Temari the Kazekage's elder sister" she went on and on about how she wanted to improve the dress.
"If you keep trying to improve it, you'll ruin it" I said to make her realize what she was doing.
I told her about how Temari would look like our mother in it and it was enough. I convinced her and left telling her I would summon her again.
I went out my room again to get back to stamping work and signing pages.
I couldn't get the girl out of my head. I just blindly stamped away on papers and I stopped when I realized I was doing that.
I rushed over to Shikamaru and Temari's room and knocked.
"Shikamaru, can I talk to you for a second?" I asked from the outside.
"No! He's busy with his fiancée right now!" Temari shouted as Shikamaru appeared at the door.
"Yeah. Hi. I'm sorry about that." He apologized. "She so troublesome, sometimes"
He came out of the room and closed the doors behind him.
"Can I request your help with some paperwork here, Shikamaru?" I tried my best to sound polite.
"Ofcourse. I'm sure you do your work regularly. This would be nothing as compared to what Naruto does, but we'll go the paperwork at night. I mean, I have to stay with her during the day or else she will get mad. I don't want make her mad atleast just a month before our wedding." He scratched the back of his head.
"Thank you" I smiled at him and he disappeared inside again.
I stood there for a while thinking about her and listening to Temari and Shikamaru.
They sounded happy. They teased each other, called each other names but they were happy together.
"What made Temari change her mind about him? How did she fall in love with him? What is love?" I thought as I walked back to my paperwork.
I stamped and signed many papers, mostly important ones. One of them was about a new holiday people wanted, on Valentine's Day. I had a tough idea about this day. It is the day when people are supposed to express love for their loved ones, especially romantic lovers like girlfriends and wives and boyfriends and husbands. I stamped it of approval and signed it. O didn't want to deprive anyone of the love they deserved.
I slowly looked outside at the scorching sun. I felt a cool breeze on my face as I turned on the Dan and I was instantly reminded of her. I liked to see her smile. I felt the pain when I saw her sad face. Was it only because she was like Naruto? Was it only because she reminded me of him? I never quite understood this concept of romantic love yet, but I tried.
I couldn't just stay like this. I sent an eye for her. She was coming out of Kankuro's office. I followed her as she came into the same workspace again. She suddenly clutched her head in her arms and made a sour expression.
She immediately took our her notebook and started writing down something. It was a list of people. Me, Kankuro, Shikamaru, other associates... She was assigned to make suits for us as well. She checked her list over and over. Maybe she didn't want to miss anyone out. She checked, then double checked and then triple checked everything. Her table from afar looked messy but it was very strategically messy. Everything that she needed was in reach including the dustbin. She didn't mind keeping unnecessary stuff on the floor.
She was not like Naruto, she was better. She has everything that Naruto had, his friendliness, his empathy, his knack for making friends; but she also had something more. She had the brains, she had a certain grace to her behaviour, everything that she did she did it in an alluring manner.
I didn't notice women before. I always saw them equal to men. But this one was different, she looked more delicate, she looked like something I wanted to protect. She looked like she was calling out to me...