All the pain in me, no more needs to be expressed
Feels like I can breathe, you lift a burden off my chest
Traces of sadness, no more chain me to the ground
I am limitless, ever since you came around
I'm as light as I can be, you got me feeling weightless
You take me on an odyssey, you got me feeling weightless
You make me float free; my love for you is endless
No ties are binding me; oh I'm in zero gravity

Chapter 27: Zero Gravity (Kerli)

The wail of one of the children wakes me. I blink my eyes tiredly and sit up in bed, the duvet falling off my chest and bunching at my waist. The piercing wails of one of my children wakes the other, and soon the house is filled with screaming cries. I rub my eyes and yawn, then stretch as my tired body thinks drearily about getting out of bed. I move to pull the covers off my body and swing my feet around so I can stand, but a hand on my shoulder makes me pause.

"I'll get them Kira. Rest." I turn my weary eyes to Gaara. He looks just as unrested as I do.

"You got them the last time." I mumble, moving to get out of the bed again.

"You need rest." Gaara says, his velvety deep voice making me want him in the most intimate way. He pushes my shoulder gently in the direction of the warm and inviting bed, and is met with resistance.

"I'll rest after I feed Miyuki and Mizuki." I mumble.

"How about you stay here and I bring them to you?" Gaara asks. I'm too tired to do more than nod and I hear him exhale a sigh of relief. He hands me the boppy, a type of body pillow designed for infants and nursing mothers. Its' in the shape of a U, and fits snugly around my tummy. I put it in place and wait with half open eyes for Gaara to bring me the twins.

He comes back with two wailing bundles and hands me each child. I take Miyuki from him first, and place her in the football hold on my right side on the pillow; my arm snaked around her hips and back to keep her in place. Gaara helps me situate Mizuki in the same fashion, and then lifts the black shirt that I commandeered from his dresser to wear to bed. With his help I tuck the shirt up under my chin, exposing my raw, sensitive, over-used breasts. I lift the children gently and am rewarded as they both latch on tightly. The only sounds to be heard now are the sounds of suckling as my children nurse.

I close my eyes and let myself doze slightly; nursing and sleeping at the same time is a habit I picked up after about three days. The children eat for no more than a few minutes, and with Gaara's help, the twins are soon burped and changed. Gaara turns and begins heading for the door, Mizuki in his arms.

"Wait…" I mumble sleepily, my eyes closed. I am barely aware of what I'm doing at the moment. Gaara pauses in the doorway, looking back at me curiously. "Lets have them sleep with us."

"Kira, you know what the doctor said." Gaara says quietly. I can picture the slight scowl on his face.

"Co-sleeping is frowned upon, I know… But I just want to snuggle my babies." I say in a tired whisper, clutching Miyuki to me and laying on my side, curling my body protectively around my little girl.

"Kira…" Gaara sighs, but I note that he plods over to the bed and places Mizuki gently next to his sister. Then Gaara climbs into the bed, it dips slightly under his weight, and curls around his son. "Just this once." Gaara breathes. A small smile dances across my lips before I am once more asleep, not that I really ever woke up in the first place.

The days fly by and turn into weeks, the weeks fly by and turn into months, and the months fly by and turn into years. Now the twins were toddlers, and though they were mostly well behaved for their age, they still managed to find some trouble to get into.

I walk into the bathroom, a stack of freshly laundered towels in my hands. Ayami had the day off today, and I was determined to get as many chores done as possible. The first thing I notice is that it looks like it snowed over every inch of the bathroom. White scraps of soft tissue littered the floor, flooded the toilet, and plugged up the bathtub.

"Mizuki! Miyuki!" I exclaim in exasperation, putting the towels on the sink before kneeling next to them on the floor. "No, no!" I say, spanking each one lightly on the hand.

"But it's fun!" My daughter says in her high-pitched baby voice, her eyes meeting mine in a defiant staring contest.

"It may be fun, but it's very naughty." I say, giving her a hard stare.

"Why?" Mizuki asks, his grin devilish.

"Because toilet paper is for wiping yourself after you go potty, not for playing with." I respond, giving him a dose of my evil eye. "Now I want the both of you to pick this up, right now please." I say before standing up. I cross my arms and tap my foot as I watch my children clean up their mess.

"Getting into trouble are we?" Gaara asks as he pokes his head into the room. I gaze at him lovingly, eager for our date night. We had one night to ourselves a week, and it just so happened that tonight was going to be one of our nights.

"Daddy!" Miyuki squeals, abandoning her efforts of cleaning to hug Gaara's leg. Mizuki follows suit and hugs his other leg.

"You guys better finish cleaning or your Mommy is going to get angry." Gaara says, smiling down at the two as they squeeze his legs tighter in defiance.

"No!" They squeal at the same time.

"You better not be telling Daddy no." I say darkly, and all three of them look at me apprehensively. "Finish picking up your mess." I point at the toilet paper on the floor, and the both of them reluctantly let go of Gaara's legs and do as I tell them.

When I had been pregnant with the twins, I had thought that I was going to be the pushover and Gaara was going to be the disciplinarian. Boy did I get that wrong. I constantly needed to bark orders, count to three, dole out spankings and put them in the naughty corner for not listening. Gaara rarely disciplined them, but when he did, boy did the tears flow. When I disciplined them they had a 'whatever' attitude that thoroughly grated on my nerves.

When they finish cleaning up their mess, the two of them look at me, dopey smiles on their faces. "All clean!" Miyuki announces, her hands thrown in the air proudly.

"Yeah, all done!" Mizuki says, imitating his sister's action of throwing her arms into the air.

"No more playing in the bathroom." I scold, pointing my finger at the two.

"Okaaaaay!" The two say in unison, their tone indicative that they will be playing in here again sometime in the future.

"Now go play in your room." I say, pointing out the door.

"Yeah, go play!" Miyuki squeals, grabbing her brother's hand and pulling him from the bathroom.

I deflate the instant they're out of sight, and grin up at Gaara. I move and lean against him, smelling the scent that belongs to Gaara only. Desert, sun, heat, cinnamon. I nuzzle into his chest, then stand on tiptoe and place a chaste kiss on his cheek.

In the two years since we've had the children, we hadn't been intimate once. Gaara seemed true to his word. He touched me, but never with the intention of initiating close intimate contact between the two of us. For awhile it had frustrated me and there was a period of time where all we did was yell and scream at each other, but things had settled into a routine and though we still fought a lot about the subject, things seemed to be mostly good between us.

"What's in store for us tonight?" I ask as Gaara kisses the top of my head tenderly.

"I was thinking dinner." Gaara says quietly as he wraps his arms around me.

"Just dinner?" I ask, peeking up at him from beneath my lashes.

"Then maybe a movie…" Gaara says, seemingly reluctantly.

I pull away from Gaara, and gaze at him quizzically. "What's the matter?" I ask, raising my eyebrow.

"Nothing." Gaara says, and though I was much better at reading him now, his eyes had been schooled into perfect green pools of nothingness.

"If you say so." I reply, before backing away. I turn to the tub and fish the errant chunks of toilet tissue out of the drain and throw them away. I can feel Gaara's eyes on me as he watches my movements. After I finish with the tub, I put the towels on the black wrought iron rack hanging above the toilet.

I turn back to Gaara and I catch a glimmer of lust in his eyes before he quickly makes it disappear. "We'll leave as soon as Temari picks up the kids." Gaara says before retreating out of the bathroom.

I can faintly hear the twins squealing in delight as they play in their room on my trip to the bedroom. I needed to change out of the sweats that I'd taken a liking to wearing lately. Gaara refused to send me on missions, overly concerned about my safety as he was. It was frustrating never leaving the village except the two times I'd taken the twins to Konoha. Since I rarely was able to get away from the Kazekage Suite, I had switched to comfier clothes. But I did really miss showing off legs and chest and arms. So on date night I dressed as provocatively as possible, not that I'd seen any effect on Gaara's stubborn oath to not touch me when I did dress like I used to.

When I get into our room, I head straight for the bathroom. I pull the black sweats off, rolled up twice at the waist, followed by a white tank top that hugged my curves lightly. I throw both articles into the laundry hamper, then turn the shower on. While I wait for the water to warm up, I quickly unsnap my flower print bra and toss it on the sink, then step out of my plain Jane underwear, which follows my sweats into the laundry basket.

I reach my hand into the tub, testing the heat of the spray from the shower with my hand, wrist and forearm. I find the temperature suitable, and am about to climb into the tub when the bathroom door squeaks open.

"Hey!" I yell as I frantically try and pull the shower curtain around my body.

Gaara enters the bathroom, and I relax, letting the curtain go and crossing my arms under my breasts, which pops them up nicely. Gaara's eyes sweep up my body, taking everything in, before he averts his gaze. It was reward enough to see his eyes widen, a harsh inhale of breath, nostrils flaring ever so slightly as he took in my naked body.

"I brought you a change of clothes." Gaara says, his deep voice echoing around the now slightly steamy bathroom.

"Thank you." I say as I pad barefoot over to him and take the offered clothes in his hands. My eyes never leave his as I pull the clothes to my chest and gently bite my lower lip provocatively. Gaara looks at me, his eyes burning, before he seems to recover himself.

"You're welcome." He replies before turning on his heel and scurrying from the bathroom. When the door softly clicks shut I sigh in frustration before setting my clothes on the counter. I get into the shower and quickly wash and condition my hair before moving on to shaving my legs. Then I quickly soap up my body and rinse off.

I get out of the shower in record time. I grab my towel and dry off, before wrapping the towel around my hair and piling it on top of my head. I have the time to look at the clothes that Gaara pulled out for me now. He had gotten me a pair of underwear I hadn't worn in awhile, a lacy, barely covers anything piece I had bought to try and entice Gaara into making love to me. Though he had blushed when he'd seen them and his eyes had momentarily heated up, he had quickly put the fire out. I sigh sadly at the memory. No bra, but that made sense because I wore my bras for a couple days in a row before changing them since I didn't sully them quite so fast now.

I pull the underwear on and smile because they still fit. Don't get me wrong, I am still trim, but I'd lost some muscle mass since I didn't have missions to go on, and the twins demanded much of my attention, so I didn't have time for constant training like I used to. I'd also gained some weight, making me curvier now that I wasn't exercising regularly. Instead of narrow hips, thin thighs and slightly busty, I was thicker in my thighs, I had actual hips and my hipbones weren't protruding slightly like they used to be. My breasts had started sagging slightly since having the twins, but not too terribly, and I think it's because of the high metabolism that comes with being a jinchuriki, but who could really say?

Next I pull out the outfit that Gaara had picked out for me, and nearly drop the garment in surprise. A corset style dress I don't remember ever owning. I hadn't worn any corsets in almost a year, maybe a little over a year. I couldn't remember the last time I'd worn one clearly anyway. It was snow white with black swirls along the hem, and came just above my knees. I put it on delightedly, and in my eagerness to wear a dress again, I almost missed the black ballet flats that Gaara must have left by the bathroom door while I was showering. I burst out of the bathroom, the towel wrapped in my hair falling off and tumbling to the floor as I launch myself at Gaara, taking him by surprise.

"Thank you Gaara." I say breathlessly as Gaara recovers from his surprise and wraps his arms around my waist.

"Your welcome." Gaara whispers before pulling away and motioning for me to turn around. I do as he asks and feel him pull the laces tightly. He laces me up effortlessly, then puts a hand gently on my shoulder. I turn to face him again, and those smoldering eyes are back, but he doesn't try to hide it this time. He leans in, and my eyes flutter closed as he leans closely and his lips gently meet mine. I sigh happily against his mouth and squeeze him to me tightly. When Gaara thinks I'm getting too worked up he sighs and pulls away. His eyes gaze at me lovingly before he takes my hand and gently leads me from the room.

"Wait." I whisper and Gaara pauses to look back at me quizzically.

"I still need to do my hair and makeup." I say, reluctantly turning away. I glance back at the handsome red head as he stares after me and quickly head for the bathroom once again.

I study the dress in the mirror, and finally know what I want to do with my hair. I blow dry it first, then brush it until it shines. Then I curl it loosely, pinning it up high atop my head while leaving two long, loose curls to frame my face. Next I apply a little makeup, just enough to accent my eyes.

When I leave the bathroom, I find that Gaara has changed out of his normal attire into black jeans, black shoes and a black button down shirt with a white tie. I'm salivating as I gaze at him.

"You changed." I murmur appreciatively.

"I thought you might like it better if we didn't go out while I was still in my robes." Gaara says, his eyes shining.

What's he up to? I think to myself as I take his offered hand and he pulls me close. He gives me a quick kiss and then pulls me down the hall to the living room.

Kankuro and Temari turn with a child each and watch as we walk into the room. "It's nice to see you in something other than sweats." Kankuro says, smiling warmly at me.

"It's nice to not be in sweats." I respond, feeling the smile on my face crinkle the skin around my eyes.

"We'll take good care of Miyuki and Mizuki, you two go have a good night. Temari says as she snuggles my son.

"Thank you." I say, as Gaara nods at his siblings before pulling me towards the door.

"Where are we going?" Kira asks me as I lead her through the dusty, twilight streets of Suna. I've placed a blindfold over her to keep the destination a surprise, and she clings tightly to my arm as a result.

"It's a surprise." I murmur quietly. I take Kira's hand out of the crook of my arm and hold it gently. She squeezes my hand and slows her pace.

"Gaara?" She says quietly, her voice laced with nervousness.

"I'm right here." I say quietly, pulling her along behind me. She follows quietly, but her whole body is tense. I think she's feeling both excited and uneasy. Excited for the surprise I'm leading her to, weary about the blindfold and having one of her senses cut off.

When we get to our destination, I pause and take everything in, making sure that all the details are correct and everything is in place. I pull Kira close, positioning her so she is facing the surprise, and hug her closely to my front.

"Gaara?" Kira questions again. "Are we there?"

"See for yourself." I say, taking her blindfold off.

"Oh!" Kira gasps. "It's beautiful…"

"Not as beautiful as you." I reply, kissing the top of her head.

"Cut it out." Kira says playfully, turning in my arms and lightly smacking my right arm. Then she is on tiptoes and kissing me tenderly, her left hand caressing my cheek softly.

She pulls away and gazes at the surprise I have prepared for her once again. I had rented out her favorite tea parlor and hired the chef from the best restaurant in Suna to cook our dinner. I had ordered the place to be filled with candles, and the flickering flames cast romantic shadows over everything. All the tables and chairs had been moved to another location save for one round table with two chairs, positioned right in the middle of the tea parlor. The table was covered with a snow white tablecloth, a single red candle burning in the middle.

"Gaara, it's perfect." Kira whispers, her eyes shining with happiness as she turns back to look at me.

"I'm glad you like it." I answer quietly, holding my hand out to her. She takes it gingerly, a light blush slowly spreading across her cheeks. I gently lead her into the tea parlor and we're immediately greeted by the waiter and chef.

"Kazekage-sama, Lady Kazekage." The waiter says, offering a low bow.

"I've prepared an excellent meal, just as you specified." The chef says next, bowing as well.

"Please sit Kira-sama." The waiter pulls out Kira's seat, and she sits elegantly. I watch her intently, and she blushes when she catches me staring.

"Gaara-sama." The waiter pulls my chair out and I sit. He helps to push my chair in, then scurries off.

"How did you plan all this without me finding out?" Kira asks me, an eyebrow raised.

"I had help. Temari and Kankuro kept it under wraps for me, and paid attention to most of the details. I told them what I wanted and they took it from there." I reply, laying my hand palm up across the table.

"I like this surprise very much. I'll have to thank them for helping." Kira says, placing her warm hand in mine. My thumb brushes gently across the back of Kira's hand, and that blush I love so much creeps across her cheeks once more.

"Tonight we have Kabinett Riesling wine to drink. It has been paired with sushi for an appetizer." The waiter says as he approaches, wine glasses and full decanter in hand. He pours us each half a glass of wine, while the chef comes out from the kitchen, eight delicate pieces of sushi on a large white plate.

"Salmon and tuna sushi with avocado. Please enjoy." The chef bows his head before backing away and returning to the kitchen.

Kira picks up her chopsticks and selects a piece of sushi. She dips it once in the wasabi and soy sauce mixture that is in a small dish on the plate. I watch as she puts it in her mouth and chews thoughtfully.

"Oh, this is delicious!" She says excitedly. "Try one Gaara!"

I do as she asks, taking a piece of sushi off the plate, dunking it once, before putting it in my mouth slowly. Kira watches me, her eyes following my every move. When her eyes meet mine she blushes again.

"It's very good." I say, picking up a second piece with my chopsticks. I dip this piece into the soy sauce as well, before offering it to Kira. Her eyes shine as she leans forward. When the piece of sushi is almost touching her lips she opens her mouth slowly, seductively, and I place the sushi gently inside her mouth. She chews slowly, clearly enjoying the moment.

Kira takes a sip of her wine, then picks up her chopsticks once again. She chooses another piece of sushi, dips it in the soy sauce and offers it to me. I mimic her earlier actions, waiting until the piece of sushi is almost at my lips before opening my mouth. When I taste the salty, spicy, tanginess of the sauce I close my mouth around the morsel and chew. Kira's eyes heat up as we continue feeding each other pieces of sushi until they are all gone. My body is responding to Kira's almost immediately. It's been so long since we've been intimate, by my own choice. I couldn't hold out anymore, it was almost painful to deny us the intimacy we both want. That's why I had planned this romantic dinner.

"The main course is baked chicken breast, lightly seasoned, on a bed of jasmine rise and steamed vegetables. Enjoy." The chef places a plate in front of each of us, while the waiter whisks away the now empty sushi plate and refills our wine glasses. Soon we are left alone again, and we both eat quietly, content to watch the other.

"Now where are we going?" I ask curiously. Gaara has put the blindfold over my eyes again, and he leads me along confidently.

"It's a surprise." Gaara says so quietly I almost don't hear him. I sigh in slight disappointment, but I'm also excited for what the rest of the night might hold.

It feels like Gaara has been guiding me around the entire border of Suna, and I'm beginning to feel weary of walking when Gaara puts a hand on my shoulder to halt my steps.

"What is it?" I ask in a whisper.

"We're almost there. I need you to wait right here. Don't move." Gaara says, and then his hand is gone from my shoulder. I stand in place, my hands clasped tightly in front of my chest while I wait nervously.

"Gaara?" I ask quietly when it feels like he's been gone for an eternity.

"Right here." Gaara says, his voice whispering by my ear. A pleasant shiver travels down my spine, and I try to stamp the feeling out. I've grown used to Gaara ignoring feelings of sexual desire, and I try my best to do the same, for him.

"Where did you go?" I ask.

"You'll see in a minute." Gaara whispers by my ear, and then I feel my knees being swept out from under me. Strong arms catch me as I let out a surprised squeak. I feel myself being carried, and then we go up what feels like stairs.

"Are we there?" I ask when we stop.

"Just about." Gaara says, setting me down gently on my feet. I hear the sound of a click, and then the feel of Gaara's hand as he takes mine.

Gaara leads me again, though only for a few seconds. He stops, puts his hands on my shoulders and turns me around. Then I feel soft lips against my own, and I almost melt on the spot. Gaara kisses me hard, his breathing becoming heavier, before he gently pushes me back. My knees hit the back of something, and I fall backwards. I land gently on something soft, something that can only be a bed.

"Gaara?" I question in surprise. Suddenly, the blindfold is gone and I stare with wide eyes as Gaara looks down at me, his sea foam eyes smoldering intensely.

"You are so beautiful." Gaara murmurs quietly, and a surprised blush flares across my face. His hands travel up my stomach, over my sides before one hand gently squeezes my breast while the other travels up to caress my face. He leans down and kisses me again and doesn't pull away until I am breathless.

I take off his tie, then gently tug at his shirt, and he pulls it off. My hands roam over his chest, and I kiss wherever my mouth will reach. Suddenly, I'm on my stomach, and I can feel Gaara undoing the laces of my dress. With a quick tug, Gaara rids me of the garment, tossing it to the floor, before flipping me back over. Clad in just my underwear, Gaara takes the opportunity to study me. I flush as his eyes roam over every facet of my body.

I lean up on my elbows and stretch my neck for another kiss, which Gaara grants before crawling up my body. I crawl on my elbows backward, my eyes locked with Gaara's, until I feel the pillows beneath me and I let my head rest in the white fluff.

"Comfortable now?" Gaara questions, his voice thick with desire.

I nod my head. "Yes." My voice is no more than a breathy whisper.

"Good" Gaara says, placing his hand on my knee. Slowly he brings his hand softly up my leg, stopping just before the apex of my thighs, his fingers just a hairs breadth away from touching the most intimate part of me. "Because I'd hate for you to feel uncomfortable."

Before I can come up with anything to say, Gaara's fingers brush lightly against my sex and a soft moan escapes me. His fingers continue travelling up, across my stomach, a pause to cup my breast, then over my shoulder and up my neck to caress my cheek. He kisses me tenderly, and then he trails kisses along my jaw, down my neck and chest until he reaches my breast. He draws my nipple into his mouth and sucks.

"Gaara…" I moan, my fingers tangling in his hair. He continues his torturous onslaught so that I am writhing beneath him and then moves to ravish my other breast and nipple.

My hands, which were resting on his chest and arms, move on their own to cup his growing erection. I squeeze gently and Gaara inhales sharply. My fingers hook into his waistband, and I quickly unbutton and unzip his pants. Then I pull his underwear down just far enough to let him spring free. My hand gently travels up and down his firm and velvety soft length.

"I want you." I whisper, my voice deep with desire.

"I want you too." Gaara says, his fingers hooking into my underwear and peeling them down my legs. He shimmies out of his pants and undergarments before he travels down my body. "First, I want to taste you." Gaara's green eyes stare intensely into my blue ones.

I almost convulse on the spot as I think about his tongue doing things to me down there. I feel his breath as he exhales, tickling me. My body tenses in anticipation, and the velvety softness of his tongue as it dips between my folds makes me twitch with pleasure. I breathe erratically as his tongue dips in for a second taste, and my fingers clench in the blankets beside me in pleasure.

"Oh Gaara!" I say breathlessly as his tongue ravishes me. My hips start to sway of their own accord, and Gaara places his hands on my hips to steady my body.

"Be still." He murmurs.

"I can't." I breathe as his tongue enters me ever so slightly. My hips thrust up again, and Gaara growls at me.

He crawls up my body, trailing kisses as he goes. Finally he kisses me on the lips again and I can taste the saltiness of my own body on his lips. Gaara pulls away from me and gazes down at me. I know I am flushed from my exertions, and I can feel my telltale blush as he gazes at me.

Gaara bends down to kiss me again, and when he does, he sheathes himself inside of me. I inhale sharply, and Gaara stills, looking down at me with a hint of worry in his eyes.

"Did I hurt you?"

"No." I whisper, swirling my hips around him to prove to him that I am speaking the truth. He closes his eyes in relief, and draws almost all the way out before slowly sinking inside me again. The slow pace is torturously exquisite. My hands roam over his back, feeling his taught muscles as he moves inside me.

Slowly, almost too slowly, Gaara picks up the pace, moving faster as my hips move to meet his, forcing him still further into my body. "Kira…" He whispers as his eyes gaze into mine, love etched deep into the green depths.

"Please Gaara!" I moan as I can feel the delicious buildup of pleasure inside me.

"Come for me baby." He whispers in my ear. The feel of his breath on my ear is my undoing, and I explode around him. The intensity of my orgasm shocks me, as does the length. It leaves me breathless, panting harder as my body continues to clench around him delightfully.

Gaara's breathing becomes more erratic as he thrusts into me faster. His lips crash down onto mine and he kisses me with so much passion and longing. His tongue pushes its way into my mouth and I moan at his taste. My moan seems to be his undoing as he thrusts into me hard and deep, gasping, and I feel him reach his own climax. He thrusts into me deeply several more times as my body drains every last drop of his pleasure.

"I love you." I whisper, kissing him gently as he lays over me.

"I love you too." He whispers, his eyes light and happy. An expression I hadn't seen in a long time.

Kira lays next to me, already in a deep sleep. I stare up at the ceiling thinking about what the consequences are going to be for making love to her. She had been so happy, eager. I loved her, and I loved making love with her, but trepidation was building inside of me, gnawing at my nerves like a rat caught in a trap.

Kira rolls over and snuggles against me, one of her legs throwing itself over one of mine. "I love you Gaara." She says, her voice thick with sleep.

"And I love you." I whisper back, kissing the top of her head.

A small smile spreads across her face, and she sighs with contentment in her sleep. She looked so innocent while sleeping; her normal mischievous smile and eyes took on a look of peaceful serenity. I envied her the ability to sleep for a full night. I wish I didn't have to wake myself up every few hours as a precaution, to keep Shukaku at bay.

I gently disentangle myself from her and leave the bed. I wander over to the window and look up at the full moon. Shukaku was unusually quiet lately, and I could feel a storm building. Something big was coming, and I feared for Kira and the family we've built together.

A Tango With Death

End