A storm of sand and blaze (Gaara fanfiction and The Love Story He Deserves)

Chapter 22: The story of two lovers

Gaara noticed, by seeing over his shoulder, that Feza was looking at herself in the reflection that formed in her cup of tea. Perhaps until that moment, she realized how different she looked, but he did not dare to ask her what her lucubration was about. He finished turning on the heater and then, sat next to her in the futon. The room was mostly dark except for a couple of orange lamps that were in the corners, turning it into a mysterious but cozy atmosphere.

"It's been a long day", she said, holding the teapot and serving some of the beverage in Gaara's cup. "But finally, we can talk. Are you ready for the story? It's quite long".

"Well, the night is long, and the tea is abundant".

She smiled because she liked the way in which he confirmed he was ready, and then she left the teapot aside.

"So, everything starts with my parents...

Haru Kaito, he was born in Sunagakure. His mother was a servant at the Kazekage palace and his dad... The Third Kazekage himself. Of course, because he did not come from marriage, he had to take the last name of his mother and always live under the shadow of being called an illegitimate child. How did he know his father was indeed the Kazekage? Well, he had the magnet release kekkei genkai. However, because his mother was no shinobi his chakra was scant compared to others. So, even if he wanted, he could never compete against a legitimate son, like your father, Rasa. But, what can a man do if he knows he has low stamina but good aptitudes?"

"Train the mind..." Gaara suggested.

"Indeed". Feza continued. "He did not only have a kekkei genkai but a prodigious mind. In fact, he could do many types of ninjutsu and genjutsu, becoming a specialist in sealing techniques. He clearly had talent, and because of that his father eventually supported him. He went into the academy after many years of self-studying and participated in many innovative projects that brought wealth and development to the village. Yet, he could not compete for the Kazekage title.

The Fourth Kazekage probably knew this pretty well and realized that it was better to have someone as talented as him by his side. Furthermore, your father arranged a marriage between Haru Kaito and the main heir of the Kaji clan, my mother, Miyako. This union had certainly a political background. The Kaji clan was one of the strongest allies that Sunagakure had but, since they had always lived in the border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire, and due to the expansion of the territory of the latter, they would eventually have to choose one side.

But, leaving the politics aside, it's necessary to mention that my father fell in love with my mother the moment he saw her. He was not the only one though, since for many years numerous men tried to marry her but, even if rich, none of them had such an influence as being the brother of the Kazekage. It's fair to say she was gorgeous, not just because she was my mother, but because she was actually a majestic wild being. With abundant long silver hair that shined like starlight and a strong complexion of someone who hunts in the steppe. Perhaps, that same wildness that everyone admired of her was the same one that doomed her. Because, how can you tame a creature that has grown flying free wherever it pleased her? It was not long after getting married that Haru Kaito noticed that Miyako was in love with someone else".

"Who was it?" Gaara asked absorbed by the story.

"That man was your father".

"!"

"How did he notice? That I really don't know. But it certainly awoke perverse feelings on him. A whole life fighting to earn his own reputation and in the end, his wife is in love with the only man he couldn't beat. But because Rasa was already married and did not seem to have any interest in any other woman, he became an unachievable love for her. And the greed and whim began to devour her heart since then. Thus, many years passed, and my parents were immersed in a horrid relationship that they could not escape until an unexpected tragedy happened..."

"My mother's death..."

Feza nodded with her head.

"Miyako saw the opportunity she had been waiting for so long a bit later when she realized how vulnerable Rasa was after his many failures".

"Did they have an affair?"

"That, I don't know for sure. But something must have happened that made my father so mad to kill her and all her clan during the yearly summer solstice celebration of the Kaji clan. Then, for around 5 years, we wandered through the desert. My father was never the same man again. He had lost all hope, and crescent hate started to grow in his eyes every time he saw me. It could be the kekkei genkai that I inherited from my mother or perhaps just the memory that I evoked of her that he simply detested.

I must say that I did not have any memory of this until yesterday when we appeared at this time somehow. I can assume that my father used some type of jutsu to delete my memory. But this time he couldn't. That's why we are here because I needed to remember".

"?"

"The day you arrived and killed him during your mission when you were thirteen years old, you didn't kill the real Haru Kaito. He was a clone built by him to deceive you but you didn't notice since you used the sand coffin. The day before that was decisive. He brought a baby to the den. He used him to seal half of his soul inside him, and the other half he would do it inside a sand clock. It's a type of Fūinjutsu, I think. But somehow, he deluded the Shinigami and didn't actually give his own life in exchange, because he and the baby could break the seal and awake after many years".

"Maybe he used a shadow clone instead". Gaara suggested thoughtfully.

"Perhaps... But, after remembering all this, I have no doubts he is the one behind trying to capture Shukaku that night in the desert when I met you. He needs a big amount of chakra to recover his human body. And to claim the position of Kazekage that he thinks he has always deserved". Feza said a bit agitated.

"Yeah, that seems quite probable... But, what about the baby? What happened to him?"

"I believe he already got him and is using him as a puppet for his purposes".

"Don't tell me that..." Gaara made the math in his head regarding the years and concluded that only one person he knew had the magnet release kekkei genkai. "Shinki!"

"I noticed on our wedding day that he was acting strange". Feza said with sadness. "When you were fighting the Devil of the Desert he looked for me in our bedroom. There was a dangerous intention in his eyes, but I fled before he could do anything".

"Ggh..." Gaara gasped closing his fist. "We need to find a way back immediately!"

Feza nodded.

Gaara remained in silence for a minute and crossed his arms to think while the girl went back to the kitchen and left the teapot and cups there.

"I know someone who might know how to get us back..." the boy resolved when she came back. "But we will have to wait until tomorrow to find her. It's too late to go out and if any guard sees me outside when there is a full moon, they will try to kill me".

Gaara expected a bad joke from Shukaku's part after that comment but the One-Tailed Beast seemed to be dormant inside Feza after all. The girl turned off the lights and still thoughtful both of them laid next to each other inside the futon since Gaara just had one. He could feel her warm back next to his. It was a pleasant feeling.

"Do you think your mother was really in love with my father?" He asked after a long time. He imagined she would be already asleep, but she was not.

"Why do you ask?"

"Because it seems like a great issue just for a non-corresponded love".

"Well, who knows what actual feelings lead my parents to do the things they did. Perhaps it was just greed... But I believe love is a big enough deal to start a war. Didn't you just say in the afternoon that it is sometimes the only thing we have to endure in such a shady world?"

Gaara did not reply anymore because he was not sure of what to think at that point. Many things were revealed to him and he needed time to settle his mind. But for that night, his body could not keep awake anymore. His tired eyes got closed soon and his body got consumed by a deep sleep.