Gentle Re-assurance

There is an awkward silence hovering around the room as the information sinks in. Gaara blinks once, and you read the action as his way of being genuinely shocked. You watch Emiko closely as she watches the four of you in turn, seemingly unperturbed by the clash in dates. Something told you she held more knowledge about your disappearance then she was letting off. You stand, suddenly angry at the vixen. Yuudai hisses at you and leaps back onto your shoulder as he is nearly thrown from your lap.

“You know something don’t you?” you accuse, approaching her. Emiko’s bright blue eyes flash for a moment, but her face remains set in innocent surprise. You stare her down, your (e/c) eyes attempting to bore a searing hole in her skull. Her eyes flash dangerously when you don’t back down.

Gaara stands and gently guides you back to your seat.

“Don’t be rude, (y/n). We’ll worry about this in the morning,” he says simply. You watch Emiko smile sweetly at him and place a hand on his arm.

“Allow me to show you to your room, Kazekage-sama,” she sings, motioning for her servants. You bristle, grinding your teeth together and nearly throwing yourself at Emiko, ready to rip those pretty little eyeballs out of her head. Before you can do so, you find yourself being ushered in the opposite direction with Temari by two more servants, but not before receiving a triumphant grin from Emiko.

Meanwhile…

Emiko looks back at the Kazekage from her position in the bedroom by the window. “I hope you find these accommodations to your liking,” she says in her silky voice, pulling open the large curtains to reveal an incredibly starry night and the city below. Gaara nods distractedly, standing with his arms crossed next to the doorway. Something about the way you had reacted to Emiko had left him unsettled. “If there is anything you need, please let me know,” Emiko continues softly, brushing a strand of hair from her face and making her way toward the door.

Gaara brushes past her and toward the window without a word.

Slightly taken aback, Emiko frowns, her dark eyes flashing for a moment. There is a tense moment as Emiko curls her delicate hands into fists and takes a breath.

Elsewhere…

“(Y/n), would you please stop pacing and get some sleep?” Temari mumbles, giving an exasperated sigh. She lies on one of the two large beds in the suite the servants had guided the two of you to, her hand thrown over her eyes. You continue to walk the length of the room and back again, petting Yuudai half-heartedly.

“I don’t like her,” you snarl, spinning on your heal and walking in the opposite direction.

“So you’ve said ... at least ten times now,” Temari replies, frowning. “I don’t see what the big deal is. We’ve dealt with Emiko before and she’s always been very friendly.”

“A little too friendly if you ask me,” you growl, squeezing Yuudai a little too hard. He growls lightly, but you are too busy fuming to notice. Temari gives you a bit of a scoff and waves her hand in the air dismissively.

“You know as well as I do that everyone else is too terrified of Gaara to get anywhere near him, and that includes Emiko. Besides, you’re the only one he ever lets in.” Temari sits up onto her elbows and sighs at you. “Come on, get some sleep. There’s nothing to worry about.” You stop your pacing for a moment and glance over at her.

“I guess…” you mumble. Throwing yourself onto the second bed, you curl yourself into a ball and hold the cat-Yuudai close to your chest, burying your face in his soft fur. Content that you’re finally going to get some sleep, Temari pulls the covers up over her head and rolls onto her side. You, however, are still unable to fall asleep. Slipping quietly from the bed, you tip-toe towards the door.

“Where are you going?” Yuudai asks, padding silently along beside you as you sneak out the door and down the hallway.

“I want to make sure Gaara is okay,” you whisper, glancing around nervously. You were positive you had seen Emiko take him down this hall, though the place was so big, you hoped you didn’t get lost. “Er…,” you start, pausing for a moment. “Can you sense him anywhere?” Yuudai wiggles his whiskers at you disapprovingly, but then sighs.

“This way.” He leads you in the general direction you had at first guessed, but then down what seems to be a maze of doorways and corridors, until finally he stops before a single door and sniffs at its base.

You find yourself pausing again, much like you had on that first day back at Sunagakure. Should you knock? Before you have a chance to decide, the door swings open and you find yourself face to face with the current bane of your existence.

Emiko.

You stare at each other for a full minute, both too surprised to react. Gaara turns toward the doorway, and immediately walks over, looking quite relieved to see you. Emiko gives a small chortle and a fake smile.

“Did you get lost?” she asks you in a completely too-sweet sort of way. You manage to keep your hands at your sides and maneuver gracefully around her, catching Gaara by the arm. Oh how you would love to wrap your fingers around that pretty little neck of hers.

“No,” you reply, your tone just as icily-sweet as hers. “I found exactly what I was looking for.” Without another word, you force her out of the room and slam the door shut in her face. Gaara raises a brow as you snarl in the general direction of the closed door. There are many choice words running through your head, but you’d rather not say them out loud...at least not in front of Gaara.

On the other side of the door, Emiko snarls back, her face oddly contorted in silent rage. Any trace of beauty seems to have vanished from her now almost serpentine features. With a wave of her hand, a servant appears at her side.

“She is going to be a problem. You know what to do.” The servant bows and vanishes as quickly as he had appeared. With a whirl of silk, Emiko turns from the door and makes her way toward her own chambers.

***

“How did you find me?” Gaara asks, glancing down at you as you glare at the door. You point at Yuudai, who had managed to slink into the room unnoticed. Gaara nods in understanding, but then frowns.

Suddenly, you are being whirled around and wrapped in strong arms. Warm, wet lips are pressed against yours and a soft tongue is stroking your own gently. The kiss seems to last an eternity, but not nearly long enough, for soon you are forced to part for much needed air. You stare at Gaara for a moment, running your tongue along your lips, his taste still in your mouth.

“W-what was that for?” you ask softly, your eyes glued to his. His brow furrows slightly and he brings his right hand up to brush a strand of (h/c) from your face.

“I…thought I was going to loose you in that battle back there.” He replies after a moment, his aquamarine eyes sad. “I could never forgive myself if something happened to you.” Before you can reply, he presses his lips to yours once again, holding you against him as if he is afraid to let go. You close your eyes and give yourself completely to the moment. An eternity later, he releases you again. “I was going to wait for a more opportune moment,” he begins again. “But after what’s happened…I’m not sure when I’ll get the chance again.”

You look at him questioningly, but he places a finger on your lips before you can say anything. He pauses a moment to pull something small and square from a pouch at his side, those gorgeous eyes never once leaving yours.

“(Y/n)…” Your heart is beating hard against your chest. You wonder momentarily if this is just a dream.

You pray it’s not a dream.

Gaara lifts the small box up as he lowers himself down onto one knee.

“Will you marry me?”