ಌMonstersಌ(Gaara Love Story)

13.Chapter 13

Don't wanna break your heart
Baby, I can ease the ache, the ache
So let me give your heart a break
-Give Your Heart A Break, Demi Lovato

  I was so excited to see Suna, have been since I was assigned the mission. I felt myself grow more anxious as the village came into view. The long, narrow entrance seemed to go on forever.
  "So Gina, how's your brother?"Kankuro asked a little awkwardly, probably remembering Sasuke chasing Gaara.
  "He's alright, a little upset I didn't pick him but I think it's better that he didn't come."I wanted to be as honest and sound like I was alright with making small talk but really I wanted to talk to Gaara ask him the many questions I had.
  "Why not?"Now he sounded interested, genuinely.
  "Okay, so people will argue me about this, that's because they don't know him like I do. Sasuke is probably the most unfriendly jerk you'll ever meet in you're life.Once you have an impression on him, it's extremely hard to change that image he has of you. Also he hates heat, and well sand. I don't think he'd do very well in a place called 'The Sand', which is in the middle of the desert. Which is also why I didn't bring Sakura,  Ino or Tenten."I explained using my hands for effect.
  "How come you didn't bring one of your teammates?"I froze, settling my eyes on the ground. My breath hitched in my throat.
  Daichi. Tokito. Lady Sensei.
  I felt a strong hand on my shoulder. It was a familiar grip, too familiar to be Gaara.
  "Gina, are you alright?"Shikamaru whispered in my hear. I nodded slightly.
  "Um Daichi was killed by Tokito, who was with Orochimaru. And um, Lady Sensei is in a coma, so team 12 isn't in any better shape then the village."Shikamaru gave my shoulder one last squeeze before letting his hand drop. Temari smacked the back of Kankuro's head.
  "Ouch! What was that for!?"
  "You made her upset!"
  "I didn't know!"He rubbed the back of his head.
  "It's alright I just wanna see Suna. Don't ask why I just wanna see it really badly."I forced a smile on my face.
  "Is that why you had so many questions about it?"Gaara asked, speaking for the first time. Goosebumps rose to the surface on my skin as they did when we first met.
  I turned my head to the side and flashed a radiant smile."Yeah my mom erm, was sent on  a mission here with my dad and she loved it. Since then I've always wondered what it was like."
  "Well then let's go."Temari said, leading the small way left before the village was in front of my eyes.
  "Jeez Gaara it's like you're playground."He gave the smallest smile known to mankind, but it was there. I was only able to catch a glimpse of it before he forced his normal emotionless face on, thinking I might not have caught it. I got close to his ear."I saw that."
  As they showed us around the village, I remember all the things my mother had told me about. The small ramen shop near the entrance (which Naruto was extremely excited about) , I very big women's clothing store which had a ninja department, and how there were very little trees, close to none. The streets were as crowded as she had described along with all the many, many buildings.
  Then they showed us their apartment. I gasped in awe. It opened to a room with clean white walls, tan wood floors and a white staircase with beige lines carpet. There was a small wooden table with a vase filled with yellow roses.
  "So over here is the kitchen."Temari said, directing us into the other room. The kitchen it was an off white color and the island had a white marble top. The stove was on the island, as well as a fake small Sakura tree. Everything, the facet, the fridge, the counters, it was all polished and free of smudges.
  "And through that door is the washer and dryer. And there is a door in that room which opens to a short hallway, and that hallway leads to Gaara's special room. Do not, I repeat, do not go into that room. Okay and the staircase out there leads to the living room."As we ascended up the stairs three pictures hanging on the wall. They were portraits of the three siblings.
  The living room had more of a chestnut then a beige. The couch was beige however, the walls were an off white, there was a water wall in the far right corner and the t.v was inside the wall.
  "Holy crap Temari, how do you get used to this?"I asked in amazement of all the wonders in the house.
  "Oh trust me, this house took almost a year to build and cost our dad a lot of money but he did make the mistake of saying he didn't care how much it cost to get us out of the building."Kankuro said observing the living room he knew so well.
  "Yep and so we went all out, did something that we could live with for a while and expensive, but we didn't want like anything too too extravagant. Okay so my room is over this way, along with a guest bedroom for Hinata and Gina. We each get our own bathrooms on this side. Kankuro can you show the guys to their bedroom."Kankuro directed the boys the opposite way while Temari led us to our bedroom.
  Hinata and I had to share our bed, but I was more then fine with that. A large king size bed sat in the middle of two hardwood bedside tables with a lamp on each table, covered in a white comforter, topped with fluffy white pillows. The floor was instead of wood flooring, was a soft tan carpet. There was a large glass double door that opened into a small balcony, overlooking one of the few not so busy streets.
  "T-Temari your house i-is amazing."Hinata said bashfully. I set my bag down on the floor next to one of the nightstands. When I turned around I saw Gaara standing in the door way.
    "Temari, Hinata, can I just have a few minutes with Gina alone please?"He asked, giving her an imploring look that I think he thought I missed.
  "Sure."She replied while leaving the room with Hinata and shutting the door discreetly behind her. Gaara came to sit on the bed next to me and gazed at me.
  He didn't allow the silence to settle. He told me what Naruto had told him in the forest about love and friendship. He told me about how he didn't want to be evil, how he wanted to feel things for others, not to be intent on murder or on being a monster. He told me how once he let go of all the hatred and apologized to his siblings, that things changed between them and they were now very close and how a few of the shinobi in the village were beginning to trust him too. He hadn't killed since he'd returned to the Village Hidden in the Sand.
  "And I don't plan to kill again either unless it's to protect someone close to me, someone I care about."He explained, a determined tone in his low voice.
  "So, you want to try and care about people now?" I asked him slowly.
  There was a long pause then and he reached out to push a loose strand of hair back from my face behind my ear, his fingers grazing the shell of my ear softly as he did it, making me tingle inside.He had never touched me before.
  "Gina."
  "Gaara."I whispered.
  "Gina, you saved me. When Naruto was telling me about caring for people who cared for me, I didn't know of an example to compare it to. My siblings had always been too frightened of me to show me they care. But you, you never showed me any fear and right up until the end, you were there for me. You saved me."He said seriously.
  I hesitated, unsure whether or not to say what I was thinking. I did anyway. "You know, I never thought you a monster, ever. That's why I wasn't frightened of you because even though you held yourself back from me as much as you could, once I'd let down my defenses and gave you my trust, you came spilling out through the cracks in that sand armor of yours. You just needed someone to have faith in you, to believe in you. To show you that you can have a purpose in life without needing to murder to stop anyone getting close to you and hurting you. I wouldn't hurt you. I have to tell you something important but after the ball."
  He beamed and squeezed my hand lightly."Anyway, we better get ready for the ball."He said, standing up and picking up his gourd.
  "I can't wait to sleep. I've never slept on a real bed before."I said excitedly.
  "What did you sleep on then?"
  "A bed mat."He nodded and left. I motioned for Hinata to come back in.
  I changed into the bathroom to give us privacy. I zipped the bag holding my dress eagerly. I gasped a little at the dress. It was a tight long halter dress with a high slit up my right leg and an open back. The fabric was soft and stretched so it would fit my curves. It fit like a glove. It created an illusion that I was taller then I really was, thinner and thicker in the right places.
  Wow. I thought, admiring myself in the mirror.
  "Gina, c-can you help me for a second, please?"Hinata asked softly through the door.
  My jaw dropped.
  She looked incredible in her dress. It was a one shoulder, long black chiffon evening gown. It was beautiful and elegant, and fit her perfectly.
  "Hinata, you look beautiful."She blushed a little.
  "T-thank you. C-can you do my makeup?"I never was very good at doing other people's makeup. I called for Temari, she came in a floor length teal strapless dress with little diamonds across the sweetheart neckline. Her hair was down, straightened out and makeup done perfectly, complimenting her blue eyes and fair skin.
  "Temari, you look stunning!"I said in awe.
  "Speak for yourself, are you two trying to steal all the hearts in Suna?"We giggled together.
  "Can you do Hinata's makeup for her?"
  "Of course."She left and came back with an overstuffed floral print makeup bag, pulling out a light colored foundation."You can borrow some Gina."She said.
  I grabbed the foundation similar, but just a bit darker to better match my completion.
  "So, what were you and my little brother talking about?"She asked me, lightly sweeping the makeup brush over Hinata's skin.
  "How he sees about things differently, how much happier he is now." I told her.
  "Yes, he certainly is. I'm pretty sure you had something to do with that." Temari said while reaching for bronzer.
  "M-me? What did I do?"
  "Gina, we were ordered to never let Gaara out of our sight. You think for a whole month, every night, we would have just let him leave without seeing where he was going?"She asked me, moving on to blush."You truly changed him, letting him in like you did. I thank you for that. Kankuro and I were too frightened of his power to do that and I guess we isolated him, making everything worse. But thanks to you and Naruto, you gave me my baby brother back."She looked at me with tears pricking her eyes."He's Gaara again. He's still quiet and strong, but he's gentler and more noble and he most certainly has a soft spot for you."She winked at me then and I giggled, finishing my eyeshadow."How do you feel about him, Gina? Please don't break his heart, please. It's already in shattered."
  I began to do my eyeliner then, winging it up, cat eye style."Do you really need to ask how I feel? I think he's great. The last thing I wanna do is hurt him. His heart needs a vacation from heartbreak." I assured her, smiling to myself.
  "Do you like him?"She asked. Both her and Hinata looked at me then with a sense of longing for an answer. I nodded slowly and they squealed.
  "Would you guys like some heels?"She asked, rushing before we answered. She came back quickly with two pairs of black heels. She handed me the pumps and Hinata the ones with ankle straps.
  "Those will elongate your legs, so you'll appear taller."She smiled nervously at me, probably wondering if she had offended me. I smiled back, reassuring her that I made me happy. I did feel tall.
  She stepped back and scanned her eyes over us."You look amazing! Let's go get the guys."
  We entered into the living room, not so silently, our heels clicking as we walked. There was a brief moment where none of the boys had noticed us. Gaara had his back to me, he was talking to Naruto about Kakashi sensei and his lateness, Shikamaru sat next to him, and Kankuro was on the end. He looked a bit different without his face paint on, much like the deceased 4th Kazekage. Kankuro was in a purple buttoned down shirt, white and a black tie paired with black pants. Both Konoha boys were in crisp white shirts like Kankuro's with black ties and black pants.
  Shikamaru was the first to notice us, but said nothing, his eyes locked on Temari. Then Kankuro almost choked on his water, spitting it back into the cup and coughing.
  "Wow..."Naruto's eyes looked from Temari who was on my left, then me, then Hinata on my right. Like Shikamaru, his eyes stayed, surveying Hinata.
  Gaara turned then, his eyes burning into me. He didn't say wow or look at me in disgust, just held my gaze which made me blush.
  He looked breathtaking. His dark black buttoned shirt and slim white tie made his oceanic eyes and red mane stand out that much more.
  "They look amazing right?"She said sounding proud."Come one, we need to go."She ordered. Kankuro hurriedly rushed past us, followed by the rust of us.
  I heard Gaara murmur something from next to me."Did you say something?"I asked, stopping and turning to face him.
  "No."He said, placing his hand on the small of my back, motivating me to move forward. I felt sparks of electricity run amuck through my body. A small smile danced on my lips.
  This is so not going to get old.
  It was a short stroll to the Kazekage building."Alright, it's in the main hall. It's going to be aired on t.v, so try and look like we're all good friends."Temari said placing us in a line order."Kankuro, Hinata, Naruto, Gaara, Gina, Shikamaru, Me, that way it looks like you guys aren't left on the side. She stiffened her body as we turned to see the golden double doors.
  "It's been a long time since I've been to a ball."I said, remembering all the time my mother would dress me up for allied nations balls.
  "You've been to one of these?"Naruto asked.
  "I'm an Uchiha, of course I've been to a ball."I was nervous about this one. I usually don't do well with cameras. Gaara must've seen my tense look and offered me his arm.
  "Alright, here we go."Temari said, opening the right door and Kankuro opening the left.