Awkward Moments

Maybe it was that Gaara hadn't been feeling all too well that day. He was hot yet cold at the same time, head pounding from the moment he awoke, nose running relentlessly. He was pretty sure he had caught that cold from one of the chunin he'd recently assigned a mission to, and suffice to say he wasn't happy one bit with that.

The desert sun was doing its job magnificently, keeping the area too hot and too dry. Gaara made sure to keep water on his desk should he need it. All in all, it was a fairly average day, although throughout he did feel a bit nauseous.

Then again, he had overslept last night, having fallen a bit behind on work and finishing up through the night. He had fallen asleep before he had finished, in the end. The point was he didn't eat anything that morning in his rush to get ready. Through lunch, though certainly hungry, he kept working, as some very important things had come up, and he could always eat a little later. He decided to have a large dinner that evening, something big to sate his empty belly. Just in case something came up and he couldn't go get something himself, he asked Kankurou to bring him something, to which the elder brother reluctantly agreed. After all, he understood the nature of the pile up of meetings and emergencies the young kazekage had to deal with.

Finally turning away from his work, Gaara paused, draining his glass of every last drop of water to try and soothe his throat and wiping his nose again before moving to tuck in to his meal. It looked like Kankurou had noticed he wasn't on top form and had tried to make things a bit more bearable by making his favourite. All too soon, there was a knock at the door, and without waiting for an answer a man came in.
"Kazekage-sama! There's been an accident to the west of the village!"
"What sort of accident?" He asked as he stood, illness and hunger forgotten in an instant.

Kankurou was not pleased to see the plate of food looking untouched when he returned an hour or so later to see how his little brother was.

~*~*~*~*~

Matsuri sighed as she relaxed against one of the training posts, taking a deep drink from a water canteen. The session that evening had certainly been a productive one, and all in all she had had a pretty good day. In the morning, she had met with her friends near the market and they had gone shopping. She had bought a nice new shirt, an off-the-shoulder grey thing with a pink bow printed across the chest. There were some other nice ones in the shops, but they didn't suit her at all, and frankly seeing Sari and Yukata modelling them really made that obvious. They'd stopped off for drinks and lunch and then had a training session together, but after a while Yukata and Sari had had to leave. Matsuri wanted to train a little longer, and now it was dark and cold. Best to head home now before she froze, she decided, slowly getting to her feet.

It was always rather quiet when the extremes of temperature peaked. It was rare to see anyone out this late, apart from the odd drunk or, in the past, the Kazekage himself, considering he had suffered insomnia in the past. These days he was either in his office or in bed at this time. Well, most people were. It was the norm. Everyone needed sleep, after all.

Anyway, night time habits of the citizens of Suna aside, Matsuri sped up, aiming to get home quickly and maybe light a fire to keep herself warm. She rubbed her arms, keeping her chin close to her chest, however the presence of someone else, the noise of coughing and footsteps, made her look up.

Just Gaara. When out that late, you couldn't help but be a little concerned you might encounter a drunken pervert, you know? He was walking in the opposite direction, towards her, and when they made eye contact they both gave a small nod of greeting. She felt a jolt in her chest, that age-old crush that never went away.

She always told herself it was just a childish crush, but at first she'd liked him for caring, being brave and strong, and smart. Then she had liked his good looks and leadership skills as well, and enjoyed his company in a way she had never enjoyed anyone else's. Then she had felt that strong urge to protect him from harm and always be by his side, but she had pushed that down. He didn't need protecting and she would only get in his way. It was always the other way round, with him saving her. Just once, she wanted to be the one to help him, to protect him and keep him warm and safe.

Turned out tonight would be her night.  As he drew close, he slowed and stumbled, falling forward. She was quick to move in, arms closing around him. He was heavy so she lowered him gently to the floor. His skin was flushed and warm to the touch and he clearly wasn't well. Matsuri gave a soft sigh, brushing his hair off his forehead as she asked herself what to do with him.

~*~*~*~*~

When Gaara awoke once more, he was tucked into bed, a wet cloth on his forehead, still feeling off-colour, though a bit better. Looking to the side, he found a side table with a vase of shockingly pink flowers and a glass of water. A small bit of doubt rose in his mind, a bit of confusion, though he wasn't sure what was wrong. He took the glass and drained it, realising he was pretty thirsty. Placing the glass back on the table, he took a proper look at the room. A rather ugly patchwork bedspread, lacquer flooring and cream walls, thin net curtains that provided no privacy hanging over the windows. Not his bedroom, he could say that much for sure with first glance. That was what had been bothering him. Wary, Gaara slipped out of the bed, moving quietly to the door and inching it open.

The living room beyond the door was the same cream colour as the bedroom. He was in an apartment building, and someone else was asleep on the sofa, curled up under a thin blanket. Drawing a little closer, he realised he was in his former student's home. That was right, he'd overexerted himself again and collapsed-not for the first time since Shukaku's extraction-in front of her. She must have brought him home to help him get better. He decided he would have to thank her later. There was a warm feeling in his chest. A sort of affection, he mused. He had known her a long time, and long ago come to think of her as a friend as well as a good student. She had always been very welcoming and kind around him, someone gentle he could rely on, and in turn she could rely on him. He reached out to brush some of her hair from her face, and he wasn't sure what made him act next, but he leant down to her.

And he kissed her.

Not on the lips or anything. A gentle peck on the cheek, a momentary thank you. She stirred then.
"Gaara-sama..." She mumbled, and he drew back, freezing up. Did she feel that? Was she awake?
Still half asleep, Matsuri shifted, slinging her arms around Gaara's neck and drawing close, nuzzling into his shoulder. The movement was clumsy and uncoordinated, and he wasn't sure how to respond. Awkwardly, he wrapped his own arms around her.

And she kissed him?

He felt a very brief wetness on his neck. The feeling of her lips lingered there as she whispered something vague about being very happy. Was she really dreaming about him? With a slight smile, he eased her back down onto the sofa. After a brief moment of thought, he decided to wake her up, feeling uncomfortable leaving without informing her, lest she worry, and even more uncomfortable about wandering her apartment alone while she slept. Gently, he shook her shoulder, and that seemed to work well enough. After a moment, she opened her onyx eyes and smiled. "Good morning, Gaara-sama...are you feeling better?" She reached out, feeling his forehead with the back of one hand.

Gaara nodded slightly. "Good morning, Matsuri. I feel better. Thank you for assisting me."
"It was nothing. You're important to me." She stood and stretched, moving to the kitchen area. "Would you like something to eat?"
"I don't wish to impose." He answered stoically, standing to leave.
"You won't be imposing. Besides, this stuff needs to be used up and I don't often have friends round for meals."
He was silent for a moment, thinking it over. In the end, a mix of his hunger and her endearing charms won him over.

Did he just say she had 'endearing charms'?

Perhaps she did. Most might see her as rather plain, but he could see beauty within this mousy-haired kunoichi. A diamond in the rough, as it were, with the strength and sharpness of one and all. Not to mention she was still that incredibly caring girl he had had by his side for a very long time. They ate in silence, but it wasn't uncomfortable by any means.

~*~*~*~*~

After breakfast, Gaara sat down on the sofa, relaxing a little before going to his office. At some point he fell asleep. Matsuri watched his sleeping form, a smile on her face. For someone so powerful and fearsome, he was very cute and childlike in his sleep. His lips barely parted, hands clasped by his head, one knee drawn to his chest. She gently stroked his hair before resting a blanket over him. She made sure to inform Temari that her youngest brother was at her house, feeling 'a little under the weather'.

She checked on him every so often, watching him sleep. He looked so at peace with everything around him at that point, and so handsome and cute...
Shaking her head, Matsuri cleared that thought from her mind. She went to her room, made the bed and took the empty water glass to the kitchen. Her mind kept straying to the man asleep on her sofa. A man who had made her feel strong and able. She would never understand why people had thought of him as a monster. She could never imagine him to be the child everyone said he had been. She looked at him and saw Gaara, her sensei, the Kazekage, an attractive and capable shinobi, a year or two younger than her but still very strong, independent and dominating, protective and the kind to never let anyone hurt those he cares for.

God, how she loved that. It was a shame he was so uncertain when it came to love and affection. It was a shame that even if he wasn't, she was still plain old Matsuri. She tried to think back to when she was little, what her mother would do when she was sick.

Ice cream. There was always ice cream when she had a sore throat. She decided to leave some out to defrost while she waited for Gaara to awaken.

It wasn't long before they were sat side by side, eating ice cream from the tub together. Once it was all gone, Matsuri placed the tub back on the table, and slowly, Gaara wrapped his arms around her waist and drew her close. She looked up at him questioningly, to which he simply replied "You're warm."

Perhaps, thought Gaara, I should get sick more often, especially if it means I can spend time like this, with her...

"Matsuri...you're wonderful."