Chapter 16: Me, Of All People Part 3

"Wake up." Gaara whispered, waking me from my sleep.

I cracked my eyes open, to see him sitting on the edge of my bed, looking at me. I sat up, and stifled a small yawn. I smiled at him, as I ran a hand through my hair.

"Good morning." I replied, still half-asleep.

"I'll be waiting in the kitchen for you. Be quiet as you move around the house, though. Everyone else is still asleep." He replied, as he got up and left

I looked over to Temari's bed, and sure enough she was there, sleeping away. I guess Gaara really wasn't kidding when he told me last night that we were going to be up early. I couldn't complain though; his company was all I needed today.

I got out of bed slowly and moved over to the closet that Temari and I shared. I flipped through my dresses, trying to find one to wear. On a usual day, I would have just threw on something that was clean and comfortable, because I was just helping out around the house. Today, I had no idea where or what I was going to be doing with Gaara, so I needed to look my best. Finally, I decided just to wear the dress that Ana had let me keep. We were going to see her, after all. I pulled it on, and brush my hair into a high ponytail, and headed out the door with its sash in my hand. I walked quietly passed Kankuro's room, hearing his quiet snoring from outside the door. I smiled for a moment, imagining him sprawled out on his bed like a like kid while he slept. I let out a small giggle, and headed up the stairs into the kitchen.

Gaara sat at the table, staring into the cup of tea that he held in his hands. As I approached, his head shot up, as if he was day-dreaming. I just shook my head, and stopped as I stood beside him.

"You're done." He replied, looking up at me.

"Sort of." I said, looking at the sash. "Do you think you could tie this sash for me?"

He just looked at the sash, then at me. After a moment, he got up and took the sash from me. I turned around, and I felt him gently wrap the sash around my waist, and tie it securely. I turned back around and gave him a smile.

"Thank you." I said.

"No problem." He replied, as he sat back down at the table.

I just sat beside him, drinking my tea as I gazed off into the horizon. I just sat, watching little images float by my eyes, until I finally snapped back into reality. I looked over at him, and he was just watching me, a questioning look on his face.

"Are you alright?" he asked, sounding almost concerned.

"Yeah." I said, straightening out. "I just spaced out for a second. Sorry."

"No problem." he said, as he got up. "Well, we should be going. Are you ready?"

"Sure." I said, getting up. "Let's go."

As we walked out the door, I got a better understanding of what time it was. The sky was still dark, meaning that it was still way before most of the people in the village woke up. Sure enough, the village was a deserted as well, a desert. As we walked through street after street, approaching the front of the village, the more I felt like we were walking in a ghost town. What made it more eerie was that neither of us said a word until we reached the entrance of the village.

"What are we doing here?" I asked Gaara.

"You'll see in a second." He said, as he examined the towering rock wall. "Now, come stand next to me."

"Okay." I said reluctantly, as I came and stood beside him.

He looked down at me, and I could see that he had a hint of something behind his eyes. Whatever he was going to do with me was a total mystery. Still, I was kind of anticipating what he was scheming in his brain.

"Now hold on tightly." He replied, closing his eyes. "And don't you dare close your eyes."

"Fine." I replied, getting hold of his arm.

Suddenly, the earth beneath us started to quiver and shake beneath us. If he was planning to surprise me with an earthquake, he sure did. Then, there was a quick rumble, and the sand that was accumulating beneath our feet shot up, pushing us off the ground. I am so glad that I was holding on to Gaara, or I would have fallen off. Soon, the sand stopped moving, and we were at the top of the large rock wall. Gaara took my hand, which was clinging for dear life to his arm, and helped me off of the sand and onto rock.

"Well?" He asked, looking down at me. "You okay?"

"That," I replied, looking at him, wide eyed. "Was so cool!"

"I'm glad you liked it." He replied, a hint of laughter behind his words. "Most women would have lost their composure and screamed. You, however, didn't even mutter a single thing the entire way up."

"I guess I'm special." I replied, squeezing his hand.

He just looked down at me, and just shook his head. I just scrunched my nose at him, but ended up smiling in the end. Being with him just made me happy that I couldn't stay mad at him.

"Anyway," I said, looking around. "What are we doing up here?"

"You'll see in a second." He replied, as he looked out across the desert. "Just look out into the desert-you'll see what I brought you up here for."

I just nodded, and looked across the desert, where the sky was beginning to lighten up. After a few minutes, A light slowly crept across the farthest edge of the desert, off in the horizon. Soon, the sun slowly crept over the horizon, spreading the light across the desert. As the light spread, the sand started to sparkle and gleam like little gems. It was so beautiful, getting to watch all of this from our little spot high above the village. Soon, there was ripple of wind that spread across the vast desert, and everything started to swirl around and change colors as the light hit them at different angles. As soon as it had come, it was over, and the desert returned to its normal self.

"Wow!" I breathed, blinking. "Did that really happen?"

"Yes." Gaara said, squeezing my hand. "This is the way the desert looks every morning as the sun hits it for the first time."

"It was so breathtaking." I said, looking up at him. "I thought seeing the sunset in the afternoon was beautiful, but this tops it. Thank you for showing it to me."

"No problem." He replied, looking down at me. "Actually, I want every morning to be like this. I mean, that you-"

"What?" I asked.

Gaara sighed and looked down. "Sit down. Let me think out loud for a second, alright?"

"Sure." I replied, sitting down on a large rock a few feet away from where we stood. Gaara sounded like he had a lot on his mind. I wanted to help, but I didn't know how.

"Well," He started again, looking across the desert. "As you know, I'm going to become the next Kazekage. After that happens, my time practically vanishes, because of all the time I'll have to put into protecting the village. Then, I won't be able to see Temari, Kankuro, and you as much as I'd like. I wish that I could change how many hours I work, but I can't. It's just not possible. It's already put me through a lot of stress and I put a lot of thought and mind into already."

"I already know that." I said, tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear. "If you're trying to reassure me, I'm fine. I know that your job comes before everything else, and I'll support you no matter what. Somehow, though, I think you have more to say, right?"

"Right." He said, turning to me. "You see, as I told you, I tried to think of anyway that I could get more time outside of work. Especially time with you, since that was the thing that was bothering me the most. I finally got to a conclusion."

"What would that be?" I asked, expecting him to say that he would cut corners some how after he started working and things were under control.

He fidgeted, looking down as he got closer to me."Just hear me out alright? This one option is the best one, and I agree with it wholeheartedly, but you have the highest opinion, so keep that in mind. I need to be able to protect you after I become Kazekage, and this is the best way that I can do that."

"You sound so silly." I said, shaking my head. "I don't need to be protected. Nothing bad has happened to me, and I don't think anything bad will happen to me."

"I know, but I just need to have the assurance that you are always safe. Still, that's just a cover-up."

"You're confusing me." I said, truthfully. "Gaara, what's really on your mind?"

He just looked at me, and I saw the gentle, almost frightened look in his eyes. That look made me really concerned, and my mind started to panic through all of the options of what he was going to say to me. Was I going to have to leave? Were we in danger? What was going to change after this moment?

Suddenly, he dropped to his knees and took hold of my hand gently. "Esther," He said, looking into my eyes. "Will you marry me?"

"Huh?" I was overwhelmingly shocked. Did he really just say what I thought he did?

His eyes never strayed from my own as he began to talk again."Over all this time, I tried to deny the fact that there was a connection between us. But, as I came to realize through my own denial, there was a connection. I felt for you the way I thought I was unable to ever feel. You showed me that there was light, and music, in the bland, orderly world that I lived in. You give me a sense of completion, and I know I can never be truly alone now that you're in my life. I truly believe I love you, and this way I can know that I have the assurance that you will be with me forever. Will you marry me?"

I sat there stunned. Gaara was confessing his love to me. He was asking me to marry him. Oh.. my.. Boggy. Oh my great colorful hippopotamus that floats around in the sky. Was I dreaming? No. It wasn't- it couldn't be. Gaara was really asking me to marry him. I just started to cry from all the happiness that was building up inside of me. He loved me, and he wanted to be with me forever. I think I'm about to explode.

"Hey." He said, reaching up one of his hands to dry away the tears that lingered on my cheeks. "I'm sorry. I've upset you haven't I?"

"No, no." I hiccuped, shaking my head. "I'm not upset. I'm just..so happy."

"Really?" He asked, giving my hand a light squeeze.

"Yes." I said, nodding my head. "I love you so much, and I want to be by your side forever, too. I would love to marry you, Gaara. I've always wanted to marry you. Always."

He let out a sigh of relief as I looked up to meet his gaze. The frightened look that he held in his eyes a few moments ago was completely gone. Now, it was just a calm, almost happy look that shone there. It made the tears spring back into my eyes, because for once, I knew without a doubt I had given Gaara some kind of joy that no one else could ever give him.

"Wonderful." He replied, letting go of my hand. He dug around in his tunic, and soon pulled out a ring. The ring held a sparkling green crystal in the middle, with two smaller white crystals on each side of it. It was one word: beautiful. "Now that you've agreed, I guess I'm supposed to put this on your finger, right?"

I laughed a little."Right."

He took my left hand and slipped the ring on my ring finger. It almost perfectly, but it wasn't too loose that it would fall off at any moment. I just looked down at it, then at him. Finally, I just let out a small scream of joy and wrapped my arms around him.

"Thank you." I blubbered into his tunic. "I'll cherish it forever."

"That's good." He said, rubbing my back gently. "And I'll get to cherish you forever. It's only fair."

"Of course." I replied, laughing again.

We just sat there like that for a few minutes. Finally, I just pushed away gently, and he moved his arms so that I could get up again. I looked up, and I saw that he had this almost smile on his face. It was so wonderful that I thought my heart was going to explode. This was the first time Gaara had a happy look on his face.

"You look like a mess." He said after a while, looking at my tear-stained face.

"It's all your fault." I replied, shaking my head. "But it's ok. I'll forgive you this time."

"Thanks." He replied, getting up. "I wouldn't want to be on bad terms with you after I just finished proposing."

I just looked at him, a smile on face, as I shook my head. I tried getting up, but in didn't succeed. He just looked down at me, scoffed, but ended up helping me up. I knew what he was thinking: "Great, I fell in love with a klutz." Well, at least our marriage would be full of laughter and jokes!

"Ready to go?" He asked, taking my hand.

"Sure." I said, smiling. "Where to next?"

"You'll see." He said, turning away. "Come on."

He led me back over to the ledge, where the we were led down my another pillar of sand. . I looked up at him, trying to get an idea of what we were doing next. He just looked down at me and squeezed my hand. Suddenly, he took off running, and I was pulled along with him We ran across the desert for a few minutes, until Gaara abruptly stopped and sat down on the warm desert sand. I just sat down beside him, laying my head against his shoulder.

"Now that was random." I said, taking in a deep breath.

"Sorry." He said, digging his feet into the sand. "I just needed to release some energy that I was building up."

"It's fine." I said, fixing my wind-blown hair. "I just never imagined that you were the type of person to randomly go running through the desert."

"I can do whatever I please." He said, ruffling my hair. "You should know that by now."

"Of course." I said, mockingly. "You do as you choose, and no one in their right mind would oppose you."

"Correct." He replied, dumping some sand onto my feet. "So, let's just say, I wanted to throw sand at you, no one could stop me right?"

"Wrong!" I replied, laughing. "I would definitely fight back."

He just threw some sand at me, and stared at me, a competitive look in his eyes. I just grinned, and threw a handful of sand at him, remembering how this same thing had happened on our way back to the village, only with grass. I started laughing, as I took two handfuls of sand and threw them at him.

The sand stuck to his clothes, as well as his hair, making me laugh.

"What's so funny?" He asked, throwing another handful of sand at me.

"You look so... ridiculous!" I said, laughing louder.

"And you're talking?" He said, chuckling. "You look like you just came out of a sand storm."

I just started laughing again, as I started to wipe the sand off of my dress and hair. The two of us got back up, and we made our way back slowly to the entrance of the village. Unlike earlier, there were ninjas stationed at the gate, their postures telling me that it was going to take a lot to get through them. They nodded to Gaara as we past, and just stared at me, their eyes scrutinizing me. I just lowered my gaze as I hid behind Gaara, just wanting to be invisible; I was one of those people who hated being summarized by the way that I looked. Finally, we were away from them and I was able to breathe easily.

"You alright?" Gaara asked quietly as we made our way down the small streets that led to Ana's house. "You seemed uncomfortable back there."

"Oh, I just didn't like the way those ninjas were staring at me." I said, patting him on the arm. "Don't worry about it."

"You say that now."

I rolled my eyes. "Gaara, you worry about me too much."

"I have every right to." He said, as we turned onto Ana's street.

I just started to laugh, as he went up to Ana's door and knocked. We waited, looking away from each other, until the door opened and a boy came into view; he had the same hair color as Addie, but darker eyes. He stared up at Gaara with big eyes, then quickly at me. Soon, he turned and called into the house.

"Mom!" He yelled. "Gaara and some lady are at the door!"

"Kudai!" Ana's voice called back. "Let them in please! I'm cooking breakfast."

He turned back around and grabbed Gaara by the arm, and pulled him into the house. I followed behind, watching Gaara. This was the first time that I had ever seen him around children. From the last time I had been at Ana's house, I had heard that he had a soft spot for kids. Was it really true?

"Come on, Gaara." Kudai said, letting go of Gaara's arm. "Addie was so excited last night when she heard that you were coming over that she fell asleep on the couch so she could see you as soon as she woke up. She's still sleeping, so go and wake her up."

"Sure." Gaara said, ruffling Kudai's hair. "Come on, Esther."

We walked into the living room, where Addie was curled up on the couch, just like Kudai had said. She was clutching her princess doll and a light pink blanket that was draped around her tin body. Gaara walked over to the side of the couch, and squatted down. He gently shook the little girl, who yawned in response, and slowly opened her eyes. As soon as she realized that Gaara was sitting right next to her, she shot up and wrapped her tiny arms around his neck.

"Gaara!" She said happily. "Yay!"

"Good morning, Addie." He said, as she let go. "I brought you something."

"What?" Addie said, amazed.

Gaara dug around in his tunic, and soon pulled out a little wrapped package that he handed to her. She opened it hastily, and a few candies fell out onto the floor. She squealed, and put her hands around Gaara's neck one more time.

"Thanks!" She said, quite happy. "These are my favorites."

"She gets candies again?" Kudai called from beside me. "Man, that's not fair."

"I brought you some too." Gaara said, throwing a bag in the air. "Catch."

Kudai caught it with no problem, and laughed as he opened his bag to find candies in there too. He then noticed me staring, and started off towards the kitchen. For some reason, I guess he wasn't happy having me around.

"I'm hungry." Addie said, as she got off the couch. "Let's go eat!"

"Sure." Gaara replied, as he followed her out of the living room.

As he passed by me, he put his hand on my back, leading me out the door. His hand was really warm, and it made my heart beat faster. I turned around to look at him, and he just stared back at me. I just smiled at him, and turned back around as we entered the dining room, where Ana was handing a bag to Kudai. She looked up at us, and smiled.

"There you two are." She said, wiping here hands on her apron. "Good morning."

"Good morning, Ana." I replied. "You're not too busy, are you?"

"Oh, no, I'm fine." She said, shaking her head. "I was just giving Kudai his lunch for the day, since he has to go to the training school. Speaking of which, you should probably be heading out, right Kudai?"

"Yep." He said, nodding. "I have a lot of stuff to learn, so I can be a great ninja!"

"Alright," Ana said, ruffling his hair. "Tell Gaara and Esther goodbye and you can leave."

"Fine." Kudai muttered. "Bye, Gaara. Bye.. lady."

With that, he shot out of the dining room and out the door of the house. I just watched him leave, catching a glimpse of his childish smile as he closed the door. Ana looked up at me, shaking her head slowly.

"I'm sorry about his rudeness." Ana said, apologetically. "I don't know what's gotten into him."

"It's quite alright." I said, laughing. "I think I was the one who made him uncomfortable, but I can't exactly tell you why."

"It's because you're with Gaara! He's jealous." Addie cried, speaking for the first time since we had left the living room.

Ana laughed. "Well, I guess that explains it. Why don't the three of you sit down? I made you all breakfast."

"Always so thoughtful." I said, smiling at Ana. "You put yourself through too much trouble for us."

"Oh no!" She said, as she exited the room. "This is no trouble at all. I feel like I never do enough for you all!"

I turned to Gaara, and shook my head. He just stared at me for a moment, then nodded his head in agreement. Addie just looked between the two of us, her face scrunched up like she was trying to figure out what we were gesturing. Finally, with a little huff, she gave up and began to play with her doll.

Ana soon walked back into the room, a tray in her hands. She placed a plate in front of each of us, and a delicious smell soon wafted into my nose. I looked down into the plate to see a yummy looking fruit pastry, sprinkled with powdered sugar.

"Wow." I said, looking up at Ana. "You did overdo it."

"Think whatever you want." Ana said, sitting down beside Addie. "As long as you like it, that's all that matters."

I just smiled at her, and began to eat, as she set off to the kitchen again. I looked over at Gaara, who finally managed to look my way. He noticed my stare, and after sitting like that for a second, broke the silence we were sitting in.

"What?" He asked, the typical question a guy would ask if he didn't know what else to say.

"I just," I said, not sure how to say this, as I glanced over at Addie who was staring at us with her large childish eyes. "Want to tell Ana the good news, but I don't if I'll get it out."

"Don't worry about it." Gaara said, not taking a side. "If you want to tell her, go ahead. I won't spoil the surprise. If you don't want to, you can always come and tell her another time."

At that moment, Ana walked back into the room, carrying a cup of tea. I immediately shut my mouth, making the whole incident look more suspicious. Ana just glanced at me, then at the always silent Gaara, before taking her seat.

"So, why did it get all quiet all of a sudden?" Ana asked, after taking a long sip of her tea.

I swallowed the piece of food I was eating, and looked down. Please let me just get my thought together, Boggy Jones!

"Gaara and the lady want to tell you something, mama." Addie said, making it more awkward.

"Really?" Ana said, looking over at me. "And what would that be?"

I looked at Addie, then Ana, then Gaara. He just looked at me and nodded his head, like that would make the situation any easier than it was. I took a deep breath, and looked back at Ana.

"We're getting married." I said, the words sounding foreign and strange in my mouth. My brain hadn't fully registered the fact yet, so saying it was still weird to me.

Ana just stared at me for a second, and then she started to scream with the greatest delight ever. She ran over to Gaara and ruffled his hair, and then over to me, grabbing my hands in hers.

"Oh my goodness! I'm so excited for you two!" Ana squealed, acting more childish than I have ever seen her act. "I can't believe it. Oh my!"

I smiled, blushing like there was no tomorrow. Telling Ana was the right choice, and she gave seem to shine with all the happiness in the world at the news of it. I wasn't sure how everyone would react, but hopefully they would all be like Ana when they found out.

Addie looked at me, then back at her mother smiling largely. "Mama, I want to get married to Gaara too! Can I?"

We all looked at the little girl, and I couldn't help but laugh uncontrollably. She was so adorably innocent that hearing her say that was too cute to be true! She looked at me, frowned, then looked up at Gaara. What in the world could we say to her?

"Maybe another time, Addie." Her mother said, trying to give some reassurance, as fake as it was.

After picking up my dresses, Gaara led my hand in hand around the village for the first time since I had been here. I even got to go look at his office, and we sat together for a little bit as he explained some of the politics our marriage would have to work hand in hand with. There was nothing against a Kazekage getting married, but I had to be informed to what the basic outline of running the village came down to in terms of Gaara and for me. After seeming to get mildly offended at the restrictions/ ettiquette I was going to be going into for the long run, he decided to stop while he was ahead.

As we headed back home, I started to feel more anxious and jittery with each step that we took. Temari and Kankuro would have to find out today as well, since we already broke the news to Ana. What would the two of them think? They had never really expressed any opinion to me and Gaara being together, but after the "dark night" who knew what either of them really wanted to say about our relationship?

Gaara squeezed my hand as we walked through the front door, and I understood that as hard as it was for me to tell them, it was even harder for him. Temari and Kankuro were his siblings after all. Walking into the kitchen, we found them both laughing at the table, but they soon stopped as we came into view. Thankfully, Gaara was the one who broke the ice to them so I just sat there with my heart lodged into my throat. Temari looked at Kankuro, and after a moment, shot up from her chair and wrapped her arms around both of us. Kanuro ended up joining us too, and soon we were all standing around hugging each other or laughing like a bunch of bumbling idiots.

In that moment I knew that everything was going to be okay. Life here was going to be different, but that's what I was hoping for, right? With friends in Konoha, Ana, and the Sand Sibs, I doubt I would ever have a dull day as the Kazekage's wife, no matter what challenges it brought. Because as long as I had Gaara, I would have anything else I would ever need, and no one could ever ask for more

AN: That's the end. Thanks to all who went along with this crazy ride of a story. It really was a treat to get to write. Hope you enjoyed! :)