The Suna Wall

Since Gaara's birthday is today, I decided I would celebrate it with a one-shot; hence, this little and strange piece that's being posted. I came up with it in a spur of the moment last night when I was thinking of a friend. I hope you enjoy it. It's written in first POV of my OC. This one-shot contains spoilers of the Shippuden series.

Note: Those of you who are reading and are waiting for my Red Kunai Bolts update I can say that I'm still working on the chapter and that my Internet is still bipolar; but I hope to finish with the chapter soon and post it once it's edited. Thank you for your patience! In the meantime, I hope you like this little one-shot.

Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Naruto. However, I do own Saori Kamiya, her family, any other OCs that appear here and the plot. Enjoy.

The day I met Sabaku no Gaara, my life reached a turning point. So many things happened after our unintended meeting that I still have trouble believing them. However, I certainly don't regret them; my life changed and, from what I have been able to gather from his actions and words, so did his.

"Saori, wait up!"

"Hey, Nee-chan, where the heck are you going?!"

"My dear, please come back here!"

I gazed over my shoulder at my trailing family before turning my attention to the road ahead and hurrying my pace. I penetrated through the thick mass of people walking through Suna's main street and sprinted into a supposedly empty back street nearby. Though, it wasn't as vacant as it looked; there was someone standing a little ways from its mouth, hidden in the shade of one of the buildings at either side of it. I didn't see him from where I was coming, so I almost collided with him. But something grainy curled up my legs and stopped me on my tracks before any accident could come to pass. I was rather confused by how I had halted so suddenly, hence the reason I gazed down to see the thing that held my lower extremities in place. I instantly recognized it as sand and associated it with the one individual I knew that had control over it: the Kazekage. I waited until the sand had released me to look up reverently and bow.

"Oh heavens, Kazekage-sama, my deepest apologies; I hadn't seen you standing there," I said softly as I straightened, "I'm afraid I was too worried with escaping…"

I trailed off as soon as I took notice of the expression that had settled over his face; he was gazing at me intently and frowning slightly. Had I done something wrong?

"Is something the matter, Kazekage-sama?" I inquired, blinking.

"…Are you chasing me as well?" he asked in an emotion-drained voice as he crossed his arms.

"Um, no, I'm not," I responded, slightly bewildered, "are you being tailed, Kazekage-sama?"

"Yes…," he replied, staring down at me unblinkingly and still without changing his countenance.

Who knew the Kazekage of Suna would be pursued in his own village? I'd never heard of anything of the sort...

"And what did you do, if I may ask. Break away from paperwork for a couple of minutes?" I asked, smiling amiably.

I saw his look shift faintly before the crease on his forehead smoothed out. His eyes rested over my face evenly and, as he regarded me, a slight curious gleam came to edge them for an instant.

"Saori, where are you?!"

I was forced to turn away from him in order to pinpoint the position of my own hunters. The voice had appeared to come from somewhere awfully close… My eyes narrowed a little as soon as I found them: they were standing several feet away from my hiding place. I swallowed and twisted back to the Kazekage.

"I'm very sorry, Kazekage-sama, but I've got to run," I explained, bowing yet again, "it was nice to come upon you and I sincerely hope you aren't found as I am about to be. Goodbye!"

"There she is! She's with Kazekage-sama in that street!"

"Gaara-sama? WHERE?!"

Many female shrieks rented the air nearby and hurried footfalls commenced to approach. Momentary fright immediately filled my chest; if what I'd heard was the Kazekage's fan club, then I'd be in much more trouble than what I already was should I be found in his presence. What could I do?

Something granular closed around one of my wrists and I was pulled toward the Kazekage's chest without a word. I blinked and opened my mouth to ask why had I been forced to his upper body, but the words died in my throat when his lean arms circled my back. I blushed.

"Hold on…," he said impassively from somewhere overhead.

I caught a glimpse of sand swirling around us before we were completely encompassed and embraced by darkness.

We reappeared in a place where a soft wind blew on the hair and the warm rays of the setting sun washed over oneself. I opened my eyes to take in the surroundings, but instantly closed them upon appreciating where exactly we were standing: we'd re-emerged on a rooftop. Panic began to rise on my chest and my heart started to pound faster; I hated high places with little space to stand. They made me want to scream. I began to tremble against him and clutched at his robes with my hands.

"Is something wrong?" he asked tonelessly as his arms loosened their solid grip on me.

"I-I'm terrified of heights…," I whispered, burying my face in his chest.

His arms tightened once again and I felt ourselves being transported someplace else. Soon, I felt my shoes touch ground, but I dared not open my eyes in fear of what I might see.

"Is this alright…?" the Kazekage's voice enquired, releasing me from his grasp.

I tried to calm down a little, after which I took a deep breath and fluttered my eyelids open slowly. My navy eyes stumbled upon the most exquisite sight they had ever beheld: the entire village was gently illuminated by the temperate glow of the setting star that loomed behind us. It was a magnificent vista to observe. I admired it in silence for various moments before I spoke up at last.

"Where are we?" I asked, awe-struck.

"On the Suna wall," he responded simply as he drew away from me.

It was then that I noticed we were standing on an elevated plane. However, there was sufficient space to move about. I felt myself gradually begin to relax.

"Yes, this is…wonderful," I said in response to his previous question.

I saw the Kazekage turn away and walk over to the edge that faced the sunset without a word. Not knowing what else to do, I followed after him. He took a seat on the ground, far from the border, and motioned for me to join him. I did as told and sat down at a two-feet distance from him.

"…What is your name?" he questioned after a moment of stillness had come between us.

"Kamiya Saori," I answered softly as I gazed at him, "I didn't steal anything if that is where you're getting at, Kazekage-sama."

I noted the corners of his mouth twitched, but he did not smile. Instead, he remained silent for a minute before he posed a different query.

"You are not a kunoichi of the Sand," he stated passively without turning in my direction.

"No," I replied, still keeping my eyes on him, "I am a waitress in my Father's restaurant, the Sabaku Hasu. My brother is the shinobi in the family."

He was quiet again, seemingly absorbed by the sunset. Subsequently, he turned his head to face me. I was instantly entranced by his aquamarine eyes; I felt as if he were peering into my very soul. I was unable to look away from them.

"Why were you running away?" he asked as the same curious glint entered his orbs once more.

"My Mother wanted me to chop an exaggerated amount of vegetables and it wasn't my turn to do it," I answered instantaneously, still not capable of breaking eye contact. "May I ask why were you running away, Kazekage-sama?"

He seemed to consider the inquiry, for he took some time before responding.

"I was being chased to receive…presents…," he said as he looked back at the sun.

In that second, I was finally freed from the spell of his eyes; I collected myself and continued with the conversation as if nothing had occurred to me.

"Oh, is it your birthday today?" I enquired, lightly tilting my head to the side.

He nodded curtly and I smiled a tad.

"Then happy birthday, Kazekage-sama," I said gently as I rested my hands on my lap. "Could I, perhaps, get you something small? It is a time of celebration for the village as well."

At this, he twisted to me one more time and granted me a glare.

"No," he snapped, causing me to blink.

Was he thinking that I would give him something similar to what the other girls in the village would? I wasn't obsessed with him; I couldn't be. I'd just met him, for goodness sake!

"…I don't plan on giving you something strange," I clarified, hoping he would comprehend I had no interest in him similar to the one the others had, "it would be something simple. I've already got an idea of what I could give you…"

He held my gaze for what felt like an eternal second before he broke the contact by looking in another direction. He didn't say anything else afterward.

I briefly wondered if he'd silently agreed to receive anything from me; my elder brother had told me the Kazekage was quite the reserved man. Unfortunately, I didn't get the opportunity to finish that particular train of thought because he showed up.

"There you are, Saori," Kisuke, my brother, said as he stepped over to where Gaara and I were sitting, "I've been looking everywhere for you. C'mon, it's time for your shift."

He didn't give me any time to reply or rise to my feet; in a blink of an eye, he'd grabbed me and slung me over his shoulder. I groaned in protest.

"Onii-san, put me down," I pleaded as he began to walk away, "you know I hate it when you carry me like this."

"No can't do, kiddo," he replied nonchalantly as he patted me on the back. Subsequently, he stole a glance over his other shoulder and addressed the Kazekage. "Good evening, Kazekage-sama."

I sighed in defeat and raised my gaze to rest it on him as well. "Good evening Kazekage-sama, I hope to bring you your present some time later."

He didn't respond; he merely remained as quiet as he'd been before Kisuke had turned up. I studied his profile for the short time he was visible to me before I was forced to contemplate the Suna wall on the way down to the village below.

That was the first time I came across Sabaku no Gaara. I had thought I would never see him again, but I was surprised by fortune when he walked into the Sabaku Hasu that same night. I remember I'd spotted him from the waitresses' quarters in the back room. He took a seat on an empty table and calmly waited to be attended to. One of my working cohorts rushed to serve him and quickly fired out the menu. I wasn't able to see the rest of the episode since my Father called me to the kitchen. I did, however, know what happened next because the waitress moved into the kitchen and told me the Kazekage wanted me to take his order. I blinked with surprise; why me of all people? Anyone could take his order as well as I could. Nevertheless, I stepped into the salon to see to him.

"Good evening, Kazekage-sama," I said politely once I reached his table, "may I take your order?"

"I'll have some rice, vegetables, fish and a miso soup," he responded plainly as he peered into my face.

"Okay," I said, nodding, "would you like something to drink? Tea, sake, water?"

"A cup of green tea," he said as his eyes traveled to mine.

Before I could be captivated by them, I blinked and nodded. "Alright; your order will be out shortly."

I turned around and began to walk away, but he stopped me with a remark. "After you deliver the order to the kitchen, come sit down."

I was baffled by his interest in my company, but I dared not go against the Kazekage's word. So I agreed and made my way to the kitchen with his preferences. When I reached my destination, I told my parents about his decision of making me sit with him; they were as perplexed as I was. Nonetheless, they sent me straight back to him.

I shyly took a seat across from him and waited to see what he wanted of me. He surveyed me with his entrancing eyes for a moment before he asked me a couple of personal questions. I answered as truthfully as I could, for I didn't know if his eyes could see through me, and soon found myself talking about different topics. He mostly listened, but interjected a comment every now and then. This interaction continued all throughout his meal and until it was time for the Sabaku Hasu to close. He was the only remaining client by then, so my Father civilly told him he wanted to close up the business for the day and that he could carry on with our chat outside. Gaara nodded and rose from his seat, gesturing me to follow him as he did so. I mimicked his actions and ambled into the night with him as my family closed up. I felt guilty about not helping them with what was supposed to be my job as well, but I couldn't reject the Kazekage; I knew he was a busy man so the fact that he'd actually taken time out of his schedule to sit with me, of all people, was something I couldn't disregard.

We stood outside for several minutes, still deeply immersed in our almost one-sided exchange, when he suddenly offered to walk me home. I was shocked yet again, but I consented to have him as my escort.

The stroll home was pleasant; the conversation was still going strong and had turned so that he was the one talking. He was a man of hardly any words, but he narrated the events of his day to me. I paid the same kind of attention he had when I'd been the one speaking. Sooner than what I had wished, we reached the house. He stopped to see me in and, just when I was about to bid him good night, he told me he would meet me every Friday night at the Sabaku Hasu. I don't know why I did it, but I agreed to see him again.

Our meetings became tradition in the Sabaku Hasu; almost every Friday he was able to, Gaara would show up at the restaurant, have me take his order and converse with me until it was time for us to close. On the days he was not capable of coming over, he would send word to me so that I wouldn't wait for him. When these instances occurred, however, he surprised me with a visit every other day of the week to make up for the evening we had lost. It was in the course of these reunions that I found myself in love with him. However, I decided not to act on my feelings since his intentions with me seemed to be leaning more toward finding a friend. I kept myself in check and maintained our relationship unchanged.

He was always there when I needed him; he was there when my Mother went on a craze to find suitors to marry me and forced me to date them. He was present when my Father passed away and I was on the verge of drowning in my own misery. And he was with me when I decided to tell my Mother I had no intention of marrying someone that I hadn't chosen on my own.

Just as he had stood with me during my life-changing occurrences, I stood with him when his life began to suffer some changes of its own. I was present when his older sister, Temari, married a Konoha shinobi and moved away. I was near when his brother Kankuro fell ill with an unknown disease. And I was nearby when he reached an agreement for peace with the Tsuchikage and gave Suna a new ally. All in all, we were drawn closer by the affairs that elapsed throughout one sole year.

It was on an afternoon in January nineteenth, exactly one year after we had first met, that life brought us the best surprise of all.

I was in the market shopping for some vegetables my Mother needed to make her special soup when I accidentally bumped into someone and dropped the basket I had been holding to my waist. The contents spilled to the ground and scattered around me and the person I had run into. I quickly apologized and lowered myself to assemble what I had lost. To my astonishment and delight, a well-known arm reached down and began to help me gather my belongings; it was Gaara's. I looked up into his mesmerizing sea foam eyes and smiled warmly.

"Gaara-san, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be working at your office?" I enquired as I pulled the basket over and placed the vegetables inside.

"I'm being chased again," he responded as he kept on helping me, "I saw you shopping and chose to stop for a moment."

"Ah, it's your birthday," I smiled. I couldn't pass the opportunity to tease him. "Have you received many presents from raging fangirls today?"

He shot me a very intense stare before answering. "No. I don't plan on receiving them."

I heard the familiar yells of his pursuers several feet away and decided I couldn't hold him in my grasp as much as I wanted to.

"They're coming," I pointed out as we rose to our feet, "you should disappear for a while."

"I have nowhere to hide," he replied tonelessly as he observed me.

I noticed the light gleam in his eyes that was always present when he set his gaze on me was already there, watching my face.

A thought struck me as soon as he finished his statement. "Well then, let's go to the restaurant."

Without waiting for him to say anything further, I took his coarse hand and led him to the Sabaku Hasu. Once we reached the place, I pulled him into the kitchen with me. I was certain no one would suspect the Kazekage was hiding in a kitchen.

My Mother greeted Gaara enthusiastically and then queried if he'd come to help us cook for our clients. I instantly told her that he was hiding and asked her to please not tell anyone that he was in here. She nodded, smiled and then took the provisions' basket from me to begin the preparations for her famous broth. Gaara and I, in turn, remained standing on the kitchen in silence for a moment. As usual, I was the one to speak first.

"I think you'll be safe here for a while," I commented as I turned to him, "I don't think they'll dare to erupt into a kitchen of a restaurant."

"You have no idea of what they're capable of," he mumbled and I chuckled.

All of a sudden, shouts came from the salon and everyone in the kitchen stopped working for a minute.

"He's in the kitchen, let's go get him!"

I gasped and ran to the door hastily to lock it just as one of the helping cooks did the same. He pressed his back to the entrance and twisted to gaze at us.

"What now, Saori? If you don't get Kazekage-sama out of here, they'll tear this place apart," he said as he looked at me.

"I know," I replied, turning to Gaara.

I tried to come up with something, but nothing brilliant reached my mind; I was out of ideas for the time being. However, it seemed that Gaara wasn't.

"…I know where we can disappear to," he said in a monotone as he gazed at me.

In the same fashion I had done before, he reached out, grabbed my hand and pulled me to his firm chest. I blushed considerably; I wasn't expecting him to do such a thing. He snaked his arms around me and held me tight against him. I saw sand surround us and knew him to be preparing to take us someplace else. I closed my eyes and trusted him to take us away from the fans that could potentially shred the Sabaku Hasu kitchen in a second.

When I felt his arms loosen, I knew us to have reached our destination. I opened my eyes to find the same spectacular view I had encountered one year ago: Suna bathed by the sunset rays. I gently drew away from Gaara and peered upward into his handsome face.

"The Suna wall," I said, smiling softly, "this is the place where you took me the first time we met."

He nodded and the corners of his mouth lifted very vaguely. "Yes; you remember."

"Of course I do, how could I forget?" I said as my smile widened.

I would never fail to remember the day I met the man I was in love with; it had been the beginning of a precious time that I would forever hold dear to my heart.

He slowly reached out and gently took my hand in his. I felt warmth rise to my cheeks and I swiftly looked down in order to hide it; I didn't want him to notice. He led me to the edge of the wall, released my hand and sat down just like he'd done that other time. I took a seat next to him and began to contemplate the sunset. I felt his hand move over and lightly rest over mine; I flustered once again.

We sat in silence for about half an hour, enjoying the sight and each other's company. I wondered why he was suddenly coming in contact with my hand; he'd never done anything of the sort. It was so unlike himself…

"Saori," he addressed me, causing me to turn my head to gaze at him.

"Hm?" I replied, subconsciously tracing his features with my navy eyes.

He was quiet for an instant before he spoke up again softly. "Marry me."

I was so shocked that I wasn't able to react right away; I gazed at him blankly and tried to digest what he had just told me. I saw him turn his head and regard me peacefully. As my heart rate increased and my mind finally grasped that he had proposed, I saw a soft edge touch his eyes. I became lost in his gaze for an infinite second until his hand squeezed mine tenderly to return me to the present.

I blinked and at last uttered the answer that I'd been keeping deep within my soul to give to the man who I would end up sharing the rest of my life with. "Yes."

The corners of his mouth moved upward a little again and he extended his free hand to weave his fingers through my dark hair. He leaned closer unhurriedly and planted a kiss to my lips. His lips were warm and soft, moving with patience against my shy ones. I kissed him back and trembled with unbridled joy as he ran his fingers through my hair. A little too soon for my full enjoyment, he moved away and retrieved his hand from my tresses. However, he left his other one over mine.

I didn't know why, but I suddenly started talking about birthday presents, of all the subjects I could have come up with. "I have your gift at home; when we return I'll give it to you."

"That's not necessary," he said softly as his eyes considered my face, "your present to me…was when you agreed to marry me just now. That endowment will last me a lifetime."

I smiled and looked down at our joint hands. Life had a very amusing way of putting everything together; it marks you at a certain point of time and afterward, twists the whole thing so that at the end, everything works out to one's well-being. To this day, I still believe Gaara and I were marked that afternoon of January nineteenth when we unintentionally came across each other during our attempts to escape from the people that were chasing us.

Fin

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