Hahahahaha! I'm back! I actually got this typed up last weekend, but I never got to posting it until tonight. I hope you'll continue to follow this story since the only reason I'm not discontinuing this story is because of you guys! Truthfully, I'd much rather get to my fanfic that will revolve around Frau from 07-Ghost, but you know how those ideas go for writing- they'll stay with you no matter what. Especially for me since I imagine how it would look in my head before I go to bed every night. Is that weird? xD But anyway, I don't have much else to say other than here you go!

To LadyAmazon: haha, yeah, it's like I blinked after eighth grade and suddenly I'm a junior in high school! Like, seriously, what happened? But anyway, I'm so happy you came back to read.

to Lady_Yuuki: You. Are. A. Genious. I can never figure stuff like that out lol. xD

to HatchetChu: Wow, thank you so much! Your comment really meant a lot to me! And I hope my writing skills are much better now, I wrote all of this years ago, so I'm really looking forward to moving on to a new story to expand my horizons.

To Angel Fate of the Desert: HIIIIIIIIII! I've missed talking with you these past couple years. Yes, just a transition chapter, nothing terribly juicy. But it happens to the best of us lol.

to NeferNeferi: Hi hi again! It's wonderful to have you back as well! I hope to not abandon this story at least until right before the beginning of Shippuuden. The original plan was to finish this part right before that, then write a second part of Taylor's adventures after Gaara was taken... But it probably won't happen for years now if at all. But, I do think my Frau story will be much better! ;)

To Birdy-chan: Tori-nee, it was fun to type this with you nearby. Typing with others always helps. :) And like I said before, I really don't like Taylor at all anymore. xD

Chapter 21: Konohagakure

Late the next evening, we arrived at the gates of Konoha, after walking on a forested path all afternoon. The air in the Fire Country was different. I could tell instantly. The air was cool yet energetic. There was no other way I could describe it. It was fresh and full of life, just like the trees around us.

As we introduced ourselves to the guards, I silently despaired that I wouldn't see Naruto here. He was still out training God-knew-where with Jiraya. The guards let us pass, and I led everyone to the hotel where I had booked our rooms. There were three, each with a bathroom and two bed mats. Takashi, Fushigi, and Kiro would be in one, Kankurou and Gaara in the other, and Temari-chan and myself in the last. This late at night, not many were roaming the streets. I did, however, see a person who looked very like Ino, and I resisted the urge to get a closer look. I didn't want to look like some kind of freak.

When we reached the hotel and the floor our rooms were on, Temari told me she had to talk with Kankurou. I nodded and went inside while she stayed in the hallway. The room was sparsely furnished, but the open space was nice. I laid out a mat on one side of the room and lay down. Temari came in a few minutes later. She didn't volunteer any information about what she had been talking about, so I didn't ask.

The next morning, I got up, and she was already gone. I shrugged and slowly went through my morning routine. Once I was dressed in another recently-purchased ensemble, I left the room.

The second I opened the door, I heard singing. Then I saw everyone outside my door and gasped.

"Happy Birthday to you," they all sang. Even Kiro was attempting to meow out the notes. Gaara stood in the back of the group. Still not wholly comfortable with being loud and the center of attention, I half-smiled, embarrassed. When they finished the song, Temari stepped forward and said that they were going to treat me to breakfast. We ate at a very nice restaurant, and after that, Temari gave everyone permission to do what they wanted for the day. She said she had business to attend to. I had no idea what "business" she had in mind, but I was certain it wasn't official. Everyone else noticed as well, and thought better of intruding. Fushigi said he wanted to look around, and Takashi and Kiro went with him. Neither of them had ever been deep enough into Fire Country to visit the heard of it, and so, even Takashi was intrigued enough to leave me alone.

I looked around and Wayward Kankurou had already wandered off. I suddenly wondered if Gaara and I were completely transparent, and everyone was just trying to leave us alone. I pushed the suspicion aside and turned to Gaara.

"So?" He said. "Now what?"

"No idea," I replied, thinking. "Any ideas?"

"Maybe. It's a pity Uzumaki Naruto isn't here. He's the only one I feel I might be able to call on."

"Hmm…" He had me there. Who else besides Temari, Kankurou, Naruto and I had more than just a common acquaintance with Gaara?

"I might have an idea," he said. "Do you have your iPod?"

"Yes," I said, gesturing toward the black bag on my back. "Why?"

"Are you in the mood for a quieter outing?"

"Always," I said, laughing. "What are you thinking?"

"You'll see," he answered ambiguously.

"You're' keeping a secret from me?"

"Nice try. This is the only secret I'd keep from you"

I froze. "Really?"

"Of course," he said, turning to walk. "If we don't have honesty and openness, what do we have? I wouldn't keep anything, anything, from you, unless I knew it would hurt you."

"No," I said in a low voice. "Even if you knew, I want you to tell me. Please don't keep something just because you think I'd be hurt."

Gaara smiled. "I was hoping you'd say that."

"I'm suddenly very confused," I said, tilting my head.

"I don't want you to want me to lie to you."

"What?" He chuckled and repeated it slowly. "Thanks." I smiled. "I thought that was what you said."

"It was confusing," he allowed.

"My slowness aside," I continued, "what are we going to do now that we have some of the daytime together?" The only time I could really be intimate with him was at night, when he was done working and no one was around. Though odd for a couple, we didn't kiss, but I was okay with that. As long as I knew he loved me, we'd do just fine.

"You'll see," he said, grinning. I smiled, thought annoyed. Seriously, what was he planning? He led me through several main streets, and then turned off onto a side road unexpectedly. I hurried to catch up.

"So how old are you today?" he aside.

"Fifteen."

"Happy Birthday," Gaara said, taking my hand. I instinctively looked around from someone we knew. No one. We were at the edge of the forest.

"Thanks," I replied, somewhat awkwardly.

"What do you want for your birthday?" he asked.

"Nothing. I don't need anything more than I already have."

"Sure you want something," he pressed.

"Nope. Nothing."

He sighed. "Whatever."

I smiled. "I don't think I've ever heard you say that in that context before."

"That's probably true," he agreed. "I feel different these days. More like… a teenager. Less like the Kazekage."

"Is that a good thing?"

"Socially? Yes. Personally? I'm not sure."

"You'll be fine. You're a strong person."

He smiled and led me into the forest. "We're almost there," he said. Soon we were at a small clearing, the sun shining through the hole in the trees.

"Wow. How did you know about this place? It's so pretty!"

"I've been here before," he said. "I have a good memory."

"You've been here before?"

"The Chuunin Exams. Between some exams I came here. I had time, and at that time, I had no desire for company. I wandered alone. A lot like most of my life," he added, though I could tell that I wasn't supposed to hear that. He sat down in the grass and laid back, hands behind his head. I followed. The whole situation reminded me of our first mission in the garden by the stream. Quiet, calm, and completely without someone else. I brought out my iPod from my bag. "You wanted me to bring this?"

"What are your favorite songs?" he asked.

"Oh! I have a lot of them."

"Good. We'll listen to all of them."

"All of them?" I asked, a little skeptical.

"All of them. Unless it gets late first." He put one ear bud in.

"It probably will," I said, putting in the other.

"Alright, then." I turned the device on. "First is…" I flipped through the playlists named after the Kingdom Hearts characters. "This one." It was "Thnks fr te Mmrs" by Fallout Boy.

"I was wondering, when I borrowed your music the last time, why are there playlists titled with people's names?" Gaara asked at the beginning of the second verse.

I laughed. "I was a… passionate manga reader, so when I heard a song, I usually linked it with a character I'd read about instantly."

"Interesting. Are you always artistic like that? It does take an artistic ability to link events and people's personalities takes cleverness and a deep personality."

"Thanks, Gaara."

"And I noticed names of people I know," he said. "Uchiha-san, Uzumaki Naruto, Temari…"

"Yeah."

"And me."

"Of course. But," I said slowly, "most of your songs are based on the past, though. There are a few that fit the present, though. And there are playlists for different moods, too."

"Thanks for the memories, even though they weren't so great…"

We listened for a while, and Gaara, in turn, told me some of his favorite songs that he had listened to. "I like this one," he said, removing one hand from behind his head to hold the player. He flipped through a few lists and turned on a song I hadn't heard in a while.

"A touching song, for sure," I noted as I instantly remembered.

"I think so. I thought of my mother when I heard this song." We listened to the song silently.

"There's holes in the floor of Heaven, and her tears are pourin' down…"

"You know," I said, shutting the iPod off, "you've never really mentioned your mom before." I spoke quietly and carefully.

"I don't usually talk about her that much. It's very… painful."

"Understandably."

"You're easier to talk to that most people."

"I would hope so," I said. "Um, I don't think I ever told you exactly what I've planned for tonight," I added a little guiltily. Especially after talking about honesty before.

"No," he said, "I don't think you have. What have you been keeping?"

"Ah, now, please don't say it like that," I said, speaking quickly. "If I hadn't kept it a secret, it wouldn't be a surprise now." Gaara almost smiled. "Well, tonight we're going to… go to a… a dance." He stared blankly. "Please say something," I begged. "Anything!"

He struggled for words for a moment. "Er, a dance? You planned a dance?"

"Yeah. I rented a place and everything. I even hired a DJ!"

"Slow down a moment. Who else is going to be at the dance?"

"Well, I sent out invitations through mail service to anyone from fourteen to twenty. So any of your Konoha acquaintances will be invited."

"But… a dance?"

I sighed. "I know, I know, but it's the easiest social gathering I could think of. I wanted to meet everyone while I had a chance, without walking up to someone who'd ever seen me before and call them by their name. don't worry, no one is require to go in pairs. We don't have to tell anyone." Gaara didn't say anything. "Please say something, Gaara. Are you upset?"

"Well, no, not really, but I was, before you mentioned what we were doing, going to ask you out to dinner."

My heart skipped a beat, and I tilted my head, totally taken aback. He had never asked me out for a night before. Sure, we spent a lot of time together, but it was usually in the office of the Kazekage or occasionally on my balcony.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"Of course you didn't," Gaara smiled. "Just the same as my not knowing about tonight. We can still do something beforehand."

"Sure!"

"But before we go to the dance, I would like to tell Temari and Kankurou about us."

"A-" I stuttered. "You what?" I asked in a high-pitched voice. "Are you sure that's not suicide?"

"Heh. Temari can be dangerous, but she likes you. She's not about to kill someone who makes me happy neither is Kankurou."

"It's not Kankurou I'm worried about," I muttered. "I fear Temari-chan!"

Gaara laughed. "I do too, but we'll face it together in the unlikely event that we should actually incur it."

"Alright."

"Well, now's a good a time as any," he suggested unexpectedly.

"Ah…sure," I agreed weakly. Gaara is going to tell his siblings that we're together, I thought as we left the forest to find them. He found Kankurou quickly and asked him to meet up with us later once we had found Temari.

"Sure," he said, obviously confounded by Gaara's cheeriness mixed with apprehension. To tell the truth, I was, a little, too. Wait until you hear what he has to say, I thought, amused. I feared Temari's reaction, but I actually looked forward to Kankurou's. I imagined a completely blank confusion. I followed Gaara and a smiled.

"And now my sister."

My smile faltered. "I don't know about you, but I don't have a death wish."

Gaara laughed again. "You'll be fine."

"If you say so…"

Eventually we found her. She was just turning around a street corner, walking with someone. I saw a dark ponytail and smiled. Nara Shikamaru. Of course. Nara, however, saw us. I saw his lips move quickly, speaking to her, and then he turned the other direction. So I wasn't the only one afraid of siblings.

"Gaara!" she said, flustered, finally seeing us.

"Who-?" Gaara started to ask, but I cut him off.

"Temari! Enjoying your time off?"

"Most definitely," she replied, beaming.

"Oneesan, come with us?"

"Sure, where are we going?"

"To meet up with Kankurou," I said. She shrugged and walked with us. When we saw Kankurou waiting for us at the entrance to our hotel, Gaara ushered everyone inside. His brother and sister exchanged seriously confused glances before obliging. Gaara led our group up a few flights of stairs and brought us to a stop in front of our rooms.

"So," Temari said. "What's all this about?"

"Well," Gaara began. He strode over to my side and took my hand. "Taylor and I are… going out," he finished a bit awkwardly.

"What?" Temari said flatly. I braced myself mentally as she opened her mouth again, but then she shut it and just stared. Kankurou reacted exactly as I had imagined, then slowly started to grin.

"Since when?" he asked, on the verge of laughter.

"A bit ago," Gaara answered for me. Kankurou laughed, and I laughed too.

"Really?" Temari-chan asked.

"Would I joke about something like this?" Gaara asked.

"No," Kankurou said, doubling over in laughter at Temari. "because you never joke!"

"Be quiet, Kankurou."

"I guess not," Temari admitted.

"And that thing I told you about tonight?" I added. "It's a dance. Everyone around our age is invited."

"Take it easy on poor, shocked, Temari," Kankurou chuckled, straightening from his fit of laughter.

"I'm fine," she snapped. "but you did surprise me." Temari then ran over to me, threw her arms around me, and said, "Congratulations you two." I saw Gaara's ears turn the slightest bit red. "Thank you," she whispered into my ear.

"You know," Kankurou said, putting an arm on Gaara's shoulder, "I never thought my little brother would get a girlfriend before I did." Everyone laughed at that, and Gaara even allowed himself a generous grin.

"Tonight's you chance," Gaara shot back.

"Ooh," I said, snickering. Temari joined me.

"Sibling rivalry?" she teased.

"Aw, shut up," Kankurou said.

"Why?" Gaara asked. "Have your eye on someone?"

My eyes widened as I smiled. I saw that Temari was wearing more or less the same expression. "Vicious tonight, aren't we?" she asked him.

"I'm just making up for all those years I've missed," he replied, still smiling.

"Ah dance, eh, Taylor?" said Kankurou.

"Trying to change the subject, brother?"

"Maybe."

"Well, it's not-"

"Alright, Gaara," I said, taking his arm. "Stop bullying your older brother." I led him out of the hotel, and Kankurou and Temari followed.

"You know," I heard Temari say to Kankurou, "you just got defended by a girl."

"Everyone's picking on me!" Kankurou moaned.

The four of us stuck together for the rest of the day until I left to get the last details of the dance in order.

Well, I kinda skimmed that through at the end, so please let me know if/where there are errors! I'll fix them asap. :D

See you next time!

Alice.