Gaara of the Desert × Reader (Complete)

Chapter 4

"I do not know what is happening to me Temari. That girl! My attention is always on her! I got very angry when Kankuro yelled at her and she seemed scared. Her smile makes me feel fuzzy on the inside. It relaxes me. I like seeing her happy. I want to be with her. I want to hold hands with her. I want her to put her hands on my shoulder like that again. I want to hold her waist again like that. I do not understand what is happening to me." I clutched my head, "Am I sick?"
"No, Gaara" she said after she had laughed a bit, "You're in love with her."
"In love with her?" I looked at the sky again, confused.
"Do you really not remember who she is? Think about your childhood! Think about all your childhood friends!"
"Listen, Gaara" she turned me towards him, "This is something nobody else can do for you. This is inside of you" she pointed to my heart.
"This will decide." She smiled at me and turned. "Anything else you want to know?"
"We have been with you for the longest, right? Me and Kankuro?" I looked at her.
"Yes. Ofcourse. Longer than anyone." She agreed.
"Then how is it okay, according to your perspective, for you to be naked around Shikamaru and not okay to be naked around neither of us?" I asked her bluntly.
"Gaara!" She exclaimed as a blush appeared across her face. She calmed down and said, "You should ask that to Shikamaru"
I sighed and she left me to myself. I looked at the sky. Somehow, I felt better. I imagined Mother and Yashamaru looking at me from over there and being proud of me. One tear and a small smile appeared on my face out of nowhere.
I thought about my childhood a lot but all I could remember was my dad isolating me from everyone. I started remembering everything from Temari and Kankuro being kept away from me, Yashamaru's death, never talking about mom, father keeping his distance and the day everyone ran away from me. The day they knew the sand protected me without even my control on it. The day everyone feared me.
I remember being feared by everyone. Everyone ran away from me, as soon as they saw me. I didn't even have Yashamaru to talk to now. I kept making different things from sand like the girl who I met everyday, balls, teddy bears, Temari, Kankuro, Father, Yashamaru, Mother, everyone. It soothed my heart a bit.
I placed my hand on my heart and closed my eyes.
"It's her!" I exclaimed as I remember exactly who she was.
No wonder she was so familiar, no wonder I felt good when she touched me, no wonder I felt like I knew her, no wonder I loved those eyes.
I slept off in peace now that I knew who she was and why I felt so much about her.
"Kazekage-sama," a guard came with a request when I was already riddled with paperwork, "The designer has asked for your help in selection. She says she will be there in half an hour. Can you handle it till the time?"
"I'll go." I told him to get Shikamaru to stay in here for half an hour.
I went to the selection room.
"I'm Gaara, the Kazekage and the bride's younger brother. I am looking forward to working with whoever makes it through the test. You have been individually given all the materials you will require for the test. We will start by picking chits one by one to decide your topic." I asked the line standing in front of me to pick chits.
Everyone picked their chits and their own workstation.
"Your time starts" I looked at my watch, "Now. You have one hour to finish. Please don't cheat. It is for your own good." I stepped out of the room and sent a few eyes secretly just to observe their behaviour.
Seeing noone inspecting, a few candidates already cheating. I sent a guard with the names of the candidates that I didn't want.
The guard announced the names as I worked through my paperwork with Shikamaru.
"So, Temari said you wanted to ask me something." Shikamaru said.
"Yes. Is it true that you get more comfortable with someone the more time you spend with them?" I asked, my one eye shut.
"I think so." He said grabbing another sheet of paper.
"So, shouldn't Temari be the most comfortable with me and Kankuro?" I said as I stamped another document.
"She is. She is still awkward with me sometimes." He laughed a little and sipped on his coffee.
"Then why does she feel okay being naked with you, but not with us?" I asked and Shikamaru sprayed all his coffee on the wall and dropped his cup, coughing.
"Are you okay?" I asked and I stepped closer to him.
"Yeah. I am" he answered coughing, "if I am not wrong, you asked Temari this question already and she asked you ask me? Right?"
"Yes. How do you know that?"
"I didn't know that, but I do know her." He smirked "Troublesome woman." He turned to me and started explaining,
"Look, Gaara, there are different kinds of loves. There's love for friends like yours for Naruto called Philia, there's the love you have for the earth and your village called Agape, there's love between family members called Storge. So, each love allows a different freedom and comfort love. The love Temari feels towards me is Eros and Pragma, which is a more erotic and enduring love. That's why she feels comfortable being like that with me. The love that she feels towards you is Storge, that's why she always worries about you, takes care of you, wants you to have a happy life. She will be really sad if I look at another woman, but she will be supportive of you if you start looking for a partner. Get it?"
"That's very scientific. Can you try a little more personal, philosophical way?" I replied.
"Gaara, there's nothing to be philosophical about here. Her love for you and her love for me is different. That's why it has different effects." He looked at the sky our of the window.
"Okay. I get what you are saying. So, if I feel this 'Eros' love for someone, it's okay for me to get naked with them?" I looked over to him.
"Only if they feel it too." He smirked.
"And how do I know if they feel it too?" I was confused.
"Most of the times, people get it on intuition." He turned to me.
"Oh. I might never know then" I frowned.
"As long as you're a human, you'll get it." He smiled at me.
I still had a frown on my face.
"Well," he said, "You know someone loves you when your happiness becomes more important to them than theirs." He said and he turned around and started walking towards the coffee machine again.
"You should go to your room to change." I suggested and he obliged.
"Kazekage-sama, the last 10 participants are left." A guard came in.
"Okay. I'll be there." I said and I went to the selection hall, shortly joined by none other than, Designer girl.
"Congratulations. You have been selected to work on the dresses of Temari's wedding." I announced.
"Wow, Gaara. I didn't know you could work this well."she complimented me. I felt like my heart jumped around like a kid inside me, but I calmed down.
" Ijust compared their work to yours and removed the shabby ones and the ones that looked just ugly." I whispered back to her.
Then she did something like she was going to punch me, but she stopped half way through the air. I didn't know what to do, so I pretended not to notice.
"You will ask have to make 2 wedding bridesmaid dresses individually, and another 2 dress collectively as a team. By another hour, we will assign you your clients who happen to be extremely important people from Konohakagure, Kirikagure, Kumokagure and Iwakagure. If you could please proceed to the waiting room." She sent all of them to the waiting room.
We discussed each of their performances in detail. I liked the intense look she had on her face. She looked like she could do anything with that expression.
I told her everything about the people that I noticed. This was the first time I didn't feel weird about noticing even small quirks about people because she appreciated me a lot for it.
""We'll assigning you clients now. You shall be departing to your clients tomorrow morning and will start designing a dress for your clients based on their demands. Am I clear?"
"Yes ma'am" everyone said in unison which made her chuckle a little.
"Okay. Let's begin." She began and told everyone their assigned client.
Not only did she tell them what they were expected to make, she also inspired them for working by appreciating their work in certain fields. It was a great way to guide and motivate them simultaneously.
After everyone were assigned their clients, she sent them off to prepare whatever they had to for their travels. I assigned guards, which we called 'travel companions' in this case, and sent them to each of the team member's room.
Dude," she turned to me, "do you realize we're actually doing this?!" She said as she looked very excited.
"Yeah. Yeah. We are."
"Oh my god!" She almost squealed.
"What happened?!"
"Nothing. It's just exciting."
I smiled at her and asked, "Why do you get so excited about these little things?"
"Because these are the things that matter! Later in life you wouldn't be remembering how you nicely how signed and stamped a paper. You will remember your first heartbreak, you will remember your first friend, you will remember that stupid prank you played and laugh about it. That's why it's so exciting to make memories." She smiled at me.
"Well, I would like to make memories too." I looked down with a small frown.
"Oh c'mon! You have good memories! Remember that time you shook hands with Naruto? Remember that time I called out to you from the top of building? Remember when you got me put of jail?" She chortled as she reminded me of all those things.
"Yeah. I think you are correct" I smiled and chuckled a little.
"I know I am" she flipped her hair and we both giggled a bit.
"May we continue our proceedings, Kazekage-sama?" She mocked my usual formal tone.
"Mocking the Kazekage can land you in jail. Remember that." I smirked.
"I apologize for my atrocious behaviour, Kazekage-sama. Please, I bee your pardon." She ended and we both laughed.
"We need to start working on Temari-san's dress now. I'll give you a list, can you send someone to fetch the materials for you?" She asked me as we walked down the corridor.
"Ofcourse." I said.
We both entered our workspace and she noticed I had a pencil over my ear trying to imitate her.
"Gaara? Your ear!" She was surprised.
"It's very convenient. I must say" I replied, trying my hardest to sound normal.
She chuckled and gave me the list of all the clothes and laces and ribbons that we needed along with the quantities.
She took my leave and rushed over to Temari's room.