Chapter 34:

Reunion and Prison

Gaara shifted through his daily paperwork and sighed. Hana walked in with some tea for him. She quietly set it on his desk. He barely nodded at her and expected her to leave, but she fidgeted next to his desk.

"Did you need something?" Gaara looked up at the girl, even though he could sleep thanks to Mizu's bracelet he found he hadn't been well rested lately. The lack of rest was putting him on edge.

"L-Lord Kazekage… About that night, after the dinner. I wanted to say I'm sorry. I think I hurt your feelings and that wasn't my intention." Hana bowed her head.

Gaara sighed and forced a smile. "You didn't hurt my feelings. I was a bit in my own head that night. If I made you feel uncomfortable, I apologize."

She blushed and smiled at him. "Um… If it's alright do you think I could call you Lord G-G-Gaara?"

He hesitated, but decided it would be best to keep the piece with Baka's niece. "That's—"

"Gaara!" Kankuro burst into his office and noticed Hana there.

"What is it?" Gaara remained composed. Did Yama make their move?

Kankuro glanced at Hana nervously. "Can I speak to you privately?"

"Is it sensitive information?" Gaara's eyes narrowed. It might be worse than he feared.

"Well, yes, I mean no. It's not that sensitive…." Kankuro kept glancing at Hana, who seemed confused by this reaction.

"Then just report it." Gaara picked up a document to look over it and sign it.

Kankuro hesitated and laughed nervously, but told him, "The guards at the front of the village have spotted someone at a distance pacing back and forth in the sand."

Gaara looked up from the document and raised an eyebrow. "Does it seem that this person is a threat?"

His older brother glanced at Hana again, but then sighed. "No, but until an hour ago it seemed like a giant lion with a snake for its tail accompanied this person."

Everything stopped. His ears rang loudly and his heart pounded. Slowly, he stood up and didn't hear what else his brother was saying. Gaara walked around his desk, past his brother and out the door. In the hallway, he felt a tug on his arm and looked back at a flustered Hana who was saying something to him. He couldn't hear her. Her eyes filled with despair and she let him go. Tears poured down her cheeks, but Gaara couldn't process why. Kankuro came up behind her and patted the girl's shoulder as she cried into her hands. His brother nodded to him and Gaara left the girl to him.

He wandered through town in a daze, past the grand walls, and the table at the entrance where some very surprised ninja tried to call out to him. Yet, he didn't hear them. In the distance was a figure in a heavy green cloak pacing back and forth. As he approached, the figure turned to him and their eyes met. Mizu.

Sound rushed back to him all at once, and so did a surge of rage. How dare she! Mizu looked terrified and her eyes shifted to the ground. How dare she leave without a word! How dare she mess with me!

"Gaara."

Her voice rang clearly in his ears. A voice he never thought he'd hear ever again. A voice he thought he'd never hear say his name again. How dare she—Thank goodness she's alive. Even as his anger boiled, he felt a profound sense of relief. She looked away from him again and shifted from one foot to the other. Approaching her, he didn't give her time to speak as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Uh, um, ah, G-Gaara, there's people watching." Mizu squirmed in his grasp.

His sand sprung up, shielding them from prying eyes. She's not getting away again. Pulling back, his eyes locked with hers. Her cheeks turned a deep red.

"Um, Gaara…"

He grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled her into a kiss. She froze, but then relaxed in his arms. She's not getting away again. Manipulating his sand with his free hand, he wrapped the sand around her wrists. He savored the softness of her lips against his, her heart beating in time with his. Releasing the kiss reluctantly, he stepped back.

"Um, Gaara—"

His sand pulled her wrists together and formed cuffs. She stared at the bindings confused then looked up at him flabbergasted. She's not getting away again.

"What are you doing?" she asked as panic filled her voice.

He didn't respond, but grabbed her arm and pulled her along without her consent. The ninja at the front gate looked at them confused as Gaara dragged Mizu through the checkpoint and into the village.

"Gaara, wait a moment, what are you doing?" Mizu tried to get him to explain, but he didn't respond.

He led her through the village and to the prison. The ninja who guarded the prison watched him perplexed as he dragged Mizu inside and found a private cell at the back. One of the ninja followed along behind him, looking from him to Mizu and back again.

"Open it," he commanded. The ninja fumbled with a key at his belt and unlocked the door. Gaara pulled Mizu into the cell and shut the door. "Lock it and don't let her out."

He turned and left Mizu standing in the cell looking speechless. As he walked back to his office, his senses slowly came back to him. By the time he walked into his office, he paused in the middle of the room and felt a hard lump in his stomach. A sense of dread filled him. Uh, oh…. What did I just do? Groaning, he put his face in his hands. What did I just do? What do I do now? Did I hurt her? She's going to hate me. Wait, I need to get her out of the prison first! Idiot! Idiot!

He turned to the door, but it opened, and he found Kankuro glaring down at him.

"You idiot!" His older brother shouted at him for the first time in his life.

Gaara was astonished. Temari had become more casual with him, but Kankuro hadn't ever yelled at him.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Kankuro side stepped out of the doorway to reveal Mizu, who timidly walked into the office. "If I hadn't spied you from the window dragging her across town to the prison, then she would still be in there. Have you lost your mind! You know what, forget it. You two are staying in here until you talk out whatever insanity made you chuck the woman you've been pining over for the last three months in prison. Resolved this!"

His older brother turned and slammed the door on them. Gaara heard a click and realized Kankuro locked them in. I could just break the door down. He decided against this course of action, but he couldn't look at Mizu right now. The rage was still there, now coupled with guilt. They were quiet for a moment.

"Mizu—"

"If you didn't want me here, then all you had to do was tell me to leave, throwing me in prison, hardly seems an appropriate response," Mizu's tone was harsh, but when he looked up at her, he could tell she was fighting back tears.

He bit his lip as he stared at her. Opening his mouth, he meant to apologize, but what came out was, "You cut your hair."

She finally looked at him, her mouth bunched up and her eyes crinkled. "That's really all you have to say?"

His mind went blank. He needed to apologize. She sighed and turned away, heading for the door. Gaara panicked and quickly inserted himself in-between the door and her. She glared up at him.

"Move, Gaara. If you don't want me here, then I can just leave."

"No. You're not leaving again. I'll lock you up again if you try to leave." Gaara regretted his threat as soon as it was out of his mouth.

Mizu's eyes narrowed. "I'll hate you if you do that."

It felt like a knife jabbed itself in his chest. They stood there staring at one another. He let out a long breath as he watched her standing there, her hands balled into fists.

"I'm sorry, please don't leave," he begged quietly, unable to look her in the face.

"You threw me in a cell."

"I'm sorry."

"You handcuffed me."

"I'm… sorry about that too." Gaara peeked up at her wondering if apologizing was helping any and he found her smiling at him softly. His face grew warm. It felt like it had been ages since he'd seen her smile.

Mizu laughed at him. "I can't believe you threw me in a cell."

"I didn't want you to leave again." Gaara leaned against the door, his heart pounding hard in his chest.

"So, you through me in a cell?" Mizu raised an eyebrow.

Gaara bowed his head. "I wasn't thinking."

"I never would have figured you to be that impulsive." Mizu teased him, and he felt the heat rise to his neck and ears.

He didn't know what to say, and Mizu seemed embarrassed as well.

They stood there awkwardly, until Gaara asked, "Why did you leave?"

Mizu's mouth tightened, but she sighed and explained. She told him about Uta, and Jikan, and the trial she'd faced. Gaara listened quietly as she told her story. When she got to the part about her memory of where she messed up and how he'd accepted her, he felt something settle inside him. When she finished, the room grew quiet. She looked to the floor and rubbed her thumbs together, her face pale.

"Gaara, I'm sorry that I didn't say goodbye, or tell you where I was going." Mizu turned her back to him and ambled over to the window near his desk. "I didn't know if I would die… What's this?"

She picked up the folder of the marriage candidates that he'd left on his desk. The color drained from her face. She placed the folder back down and turned toward him. Gaara walked over to the desk, picked up the folder, opened the window and chucked it out.

"I've received a lot of annoying requests from the council since Temari stopped handling them. One of them being that I find a wife and settle down." Gaara turned back to Mizu. She looked hurt.

"Did you look over the folder?" Mizu seemed ready to cry again.

"Yes."

"And? What did you think?"

Gaara shook his head and before Mizu could react, he pulled her into an embrace; her face buried into his chest. "What did I think? I thought it would be awful to have to marry someone I don't know when I'm in love with you."

He felt her tense up in his arms. Slowly, her arms wrapped around his waist. "Say that again."

"I said, I thought—"

"No, just the last part."

Gaara pulled her back, so that their eyes met. She looked worn and tired. "I said. I love you."

She leaned her head on his chest and sobbed. "I love you too."

An overwhelming feeling, hot, and maybe a little painful, filled up his heart. His voice broke when he requested, "Please say that again?"

Mizu looked up at him. Tears streaked her cheeks. Gaara gently wiped them away with his sleeve and she grabbed his hand, putting it on her cheek. "I love you."

He pulled her in close and kissed her deeply. Running his fingers through her hair, he felt the desire for more. Pulling back, they both gasped for breath.

"Mizu, will you marry me?" Gaara felt as surprised as she looked when the question came out of his mouth. "Well, I mean, you didn't seem to like the idea of marriage before, but… would you consider it?"

Mizu's mouth tightened, her cheeks red. "I'll… think about it."

Gaara grinned and kissed her again, before she could think about pulling away. There was no one who he wanted to marry more than her. So, for now, he could wait.