"Ai no Matsuri." Kankurou explained with a wide grin plastered across his face. "It's a...celebration about, you know, love and affection. Where people sort of get together with people they're especially close to. Partners, boyfriends and girlfriends, that sort of thing. People give gifts and go on dates and have fun...you're pretty popular with the young girls, you'll probably have a lot of gifts."
Gaara's face seemed to go slack. "The girls will give me gifts? I haven't gotten them anything."
"You don't need to get them anything back unless you like them." Kankurou assured his younger brother calmly. "I'm going out. Invited my girlfriend round from Iwa."
He frowned. "The Tsuchikage's granddaughter?"
"That's the one."
"And she agreed to come all the way over here."
"Next time I'm going to her." He assured him before walking out. "Good luck tonight, Ototo."
~*~*~*~
It was strange to see so many people out so late in the desert. They were dressed well for the night, in bright yet thick clothes, highlighted by the bright tealights hung on every building and every stall. Mikoshi found himself trying to keep his eyes on the lights. It was difficult when you had such a beautiful woman sat opposite you. She was wearing a low-cut top even that late, and may well have been the bustiest woman within suna, and he'd only asked her out a week before. That sounded about right.
"Mikoshi?" He snapped his eyes back to her and offered a shy smile.
"Sorry, Ameno-san. I was just thinking."
"Lost in thought, huh?" She rested her head upon her hands. "I was worried you were ignoring me."
"Believe me, I was listening to every word. I just didn't want to seem rude."
"You weren't even looking at me."
"I didn't want to be caught staring." He admitted, looking away as shame washed over him. "Usually girls don't like that."
Ameno shrugged, reaching over for his hand. "Hey, I forgive you, okay? But you're paying for dinner."
"I thought that was already decided." He replied, looking confused. She let out a laugh.
"I don't normally go for the whole chivalry thing." She explained.
"I don't normally consider myself all that chivalrous." Mikoshi replied, smiling. "Just...normal, I guess."
"Cute though." Ameno teased, smirking at his flustered response.
"I'm not cute!"
"You're like a geeky teddy bear."
"Geeky teddy bear?!" Mikoshi spluttered. That's it, he needed a drink. "I'm a man! I'm like any other man!"
"Really? Well, I like you anyway." She teased, flicking a finger against his forehead.
"...You too..." He glanced away briefly and watched a familiar face pass through the streets.
Sari, her name was. She had an unfamiliar man on her arm, someone who clearly wasn't used to the desert climate considering he appeared to have packed for the hot day but not the cold night. In fact, he was huddled into one of Sari's jackets right there and then. The bright pink thing really didn't look good on him, it had to be said. Once again, Sari herself found herself struggling not to laugh at his plight. He shot her a glare.
"Sari..." He muttered, tone a not so subtle warning.
"Sorry Gozu-kun, but I did warn you..."
Thinking back on things, he found she was right. When she had told him of the Sand Village's upcoming festival, she had told him to take the weather into account. Gozu himself came from the Hidden Mist village originally, but now he lived just outside the Fire country after he and his brother became a little...unpopular.
Even so, all he responded with was a disgruntled sigh. Sari laughed again.
"Are you in a mood with me?"
"Not with you." He answered gruffly, turning away.
"With what then?"
"...The desert! It's hot and dry and then it's cold and dry and it makes no sense, how can you stand to live here?!"
"I guess I just know how to adapt."
"Bullshit. You're, like, a sun goddess or something."
She struck a pose then. "I'm that pretty, huh?"
"You're hot. Just like the sand."
"And you've got that vulgar twinkle in your eyes again."
Gozu offered his most innocent look. "Vulgar? Me? Never."
"Not tonight, sweetie." She insisted, holding a finger firm before his face.
"You're no fun."
"If you want me in bed like that you'll need to impress me."
"We've been together for a loooong time now, I think I've impressed you already." He flexed his muscles to help make his point. This sent her into another fit of laughter.
"Are you sure you're the sane one?"
"I don't think either of us ever said I was sane." He answered with a smirk. "Rational, maybe. Not sane." He glanced around a moment before gesturing to a stall selling sata andagi. "In the mood for something sweet?"
Her eyes brightened at once as she clasped her hands together. "I love sata andagi!" She squealed. Gozu simply nodded, not bothering to point out he'd known that for ages. He'd spoken to the owner of the stall some time before, in fact, and if all went well...they approached and he gave a subtle wink before placing his order. They sat at a nearby table as they waited for the food to be cooked, and she found her eyes drawn upward. "The stars are so bright tonight."
Gozu followed Sari's gaze. "They're beautiful, huh?"
"Which is prettier, me or the stars?"
He pretended to think for a moment, even though he already knew the stupid and somewhat cliché answer she wanted to hear. "You, of course. Heck, in this light you're practically glowing."
"The whole sun goddess thing's coming back, huh?"
"You'll always be my sun goddess." He told her with a smirk.
"You're being strangely sweet today." Sari's voice was suddenly suspicious. "What are you planning?"
"It's a love festival. I'm supposed to be romantic, aren't I?"
"I guess, but still..." She frowned at him. "It's weird."
"Would you rather I act like a violent pervert?" He asked with a smirk.
"Nah, that might be even weirder."
The sata andagi was finished and brought over, and Sari picked one up, the closest to her. She went to bite into it when she noticed a ring sitting in amongst the dough.
"I knew you were planning something..."
Yaoki watched the exchange apprehensively. He had a collection of flowers in a tight grip, nerves showing all too clearly as he rehearsed what he wanted to say under his breath. He'd had this crush on this girl for the longest time, although a good part of him was convinced this girl hardly knew he existed. Alas, he had met her while training, and she had been beautiful, and even if she didn't accept him, he at least wanted to try and give her these flowers. He just had to be brave. That was it, be brave and believe in himself. With that in mind, he took a deep breath and turned the corner, walking up the path to her home.
Saya, a kunoichi of the sand, was just leaving her house, alongside her best friends, Sana and Mamushi. They were talking cheerfully, and it was Mamushi who first noticed the seemingly frightened shinobi shuffling closer. He just silently pointed him out, looking severely unimpressed. Once both girls had turned to get a look at him, Mamushi spoke. "He either of yours?"
Saya and Sana simply shook their heads.
Yaoki stopped before the trio and sighed. He had to admit, these three kind of scared him. They certainly weren't afraid to spill blood. Kind of like all those rumours he had heard of Lord Gaara before meeting him. If it had just been Saya alone, he would have been fine, but the other two just had to be there. He bowed his head and offered the bouquet to her, trying to remember what he had rehearsed. Instead, he found he couldn't speak. His mouth felt dry and his throat felt tight. He felt the flowers leave his grip, Saya's fingers brush across his, and heard her inhale.
"They're beautiful." She breathed, mostly to herself.
"Like you, ojo-sama." Two voices said at once. Yaoki shot up straight, looking at the wide-eyed man who called himself Saya's team mate. Great, just great.
The woman in question looked between the two men, clearly pleased with the adoration she was receiving. (All the local genin knew of her major hissy fits and superiority complex) "You're both so sweet." She cooed in a sickly-sweet tone before offering her arm out to one of them. "But you're cuter."
Yaoki could have sworn the shout of victory he gave was loud enough to be heard all the way in Kumo.
It was at that point that Sana rolled her eyes and walked off. Honestly, she had somewhere to be tonight! She had her own poor sap to bleed dry-er, I mean, cuddle up to by the fire. Yeah, that's right. Really, that was what she wanted. A nice, quiet night in, cuddling up in the warm, safe embrace of her lover, and warm cuddles were quite possibly Ittetsu's speciality. She brushed past the people crowding the streets, exchanging gifts and shows of affection. She had a small box in her hands, actually. It was filled with bubblewrap tight around a mug, and had a red ribbon holding it closed. That was her gift to Ittetsu. She walked up to his house and knocked smartly on the door. After a few minutes, he opened up and a huge smile split his face.
"Sana-chan! Come in! I was thinking we could watch a movie or something."
"What movie?"
"Well, I have that new horror film I know you were excited about." Normally he hated horror, but Sana didn't mind him clinging to her during the violent scenes.
"That sounds great! Oh, here, I got you something!"
He took the box and his grin appeared to widen, if that were possible. "I got you something too." He handed her a bracelet made of a mix of silver and rainbow coloured links. It was beautiful, and it looked like he had made it himself.
"Oh, I love it!" She told him before throwing her arms around him and pulling him in for a kiss.
Gaara briefly wondered if the citizens of Suna knew the purpose of the blinds that hung above their windows. It wasn't like they really wanted to flaunt themselves getting especially intimate, was it? Then again, maybe it was like that, considering it was this whole 'festival of love' thing. He passed the offending house quickly, trying his best not to look and instead focussing on the abundance of stalls ahead of him, selling floral arrangements, teddy bears and chocolate, some jewellery, even shoes and shirts. There was much he still didn't understand, that was for sure. Still, it was a nice night and he liked to be out in the open when it was late and the air was cool. Plus, though he didn't admit it to himself, he was hoping to see a certain someone.
Actually, he did see her. She was walking in the opposite direction, right towards him, talking to one of her friends. They looked like they were having fun, laughing and practically dancing with joy. She had a pink, almost flat box clutched to her chest.
Say hello. He told himself firmly as they drew closer. Say hello. Just one word. You know her after all.
They passed one another silently and he cursed himself internally. He glanced down at the shoulder bag he had taken with him after the warning he might be showered with gifts. It turned out to be a good idea. The bag was pretty much full of flowers and sweets now. He'd probably give them to Kankurou later so he could eat himself to the point of illness. He wondered briefly if the box she had was a gift from someone else. Was he too late? Had some other boy taken her heart before him?
It was probably at that point that Gaara decided to get her something. The question was what would be appropriate? The jewellery seemed cheap, the sweets and cakes seemed fake if not hand-made (something he could never do~Kankurou had always been the best cook in the family), the bears too childish...although, knowing her, she would adore the bears. Looking a little closer at some things, he found large plastic hearts on ribbons with personalised messages written on them.
The owners of the stall he was at were whispering. The Kazekage himself, the ever-stoic, somewhat self-isolated Kazekage, was looking for a gift for someone.
"Can we help you, Kazekage-sama?" The woman asked suddenly. He looked up, hoping the heat he felt on his cheeks wasn't visible.
"I'm looking for a gift..." He began uncertainly before tapping one of the plastic hearts with his finger. "Something like this..."
"Of course." The woman took out a matching white heart, but with no ribbon or message. "What would you like written on it?"
Ah. "What am I supposed to write on it?"
"Well...a message that conveys your feelings, I guess. I'll help if you want. Let's start with your friend's name."
His cheeks seemed to be turning the same colour as his hair. "Matsuri..."
Matsuri too was cursing herself. All evening she had been steeling herself to give a gift of her own to her precious Gaara-sensei, but when he had passed her, she had lost the courage. Now she was headed to his office, deciding to leave the chocolates on his desk. Besides, he had probably had many gifts that evening. It wasn't like one more stupid box would make any difference or appeal to him. She reached over to open the doors to the Kazekage's building, being someone trusted by the officials now, blissfully unaware that behind her, Gaara was running through the streets, searching for her. He finally found a clear path to her, and reached out with the hand grasping the ribbon, taking hold of her arm and spinning her to face him. "Matsuri..."
"Gaara-sama!" She cried in shock before bowing and offering the box in her hands. "I...I made these for you!"
He seemed taken aback, but took the box anyway before handing her the heart on a ribbon and a pink bear that held a cloth rose. She obediently held them for him, but curiosity couldn't stop her from taking a peak at the message written before her.
Meanwhile, Gaara opened the box, curious himself. He was met with messy hand-made chocolates that had been intended to be heart-shaped. They were instead strange rounded lumps, some of which had fused together. He briefly wondered if they would be safe to eat. He looked up to see her reading his message to her.
Matsuri.
I am not good with my feelings
But I know one thing.
When I am with you I feel
as though my heart might burst
from my chest. It hurts but
I have no idea why.
I think I have loved you
for a very long time and
it has taken me this long
to identify this feeling.
Gaara
The message was awkward and it had clearly been a struggle to fit it all on, but the sentiment was there. Matsuri swore she could feel her cheeks reddening, tears in her eyes. She was...overwhelmed. "Gaara-sama...Gaara-kun..." She rushed in, cuddling him close, quick and tight (sending chocolate flying), and shocked, he gently wrapped his own arms around her. She'd liked him the same way all this time and he had been blind. Gently, ever so gently, she reached up, giving him a kiss.
~*~*~*~
Kurotsuchi picked up a cupcake suspiciously. She and Kankurou had decided to stay just outside the village gates, away from all the noise and crowds, just sat together watching the sun set and dusk fall, and the whole time he had a box on his lap, cloth tied around it. Turned out he had decided to make cakes. Tragically, she had never tried his cooking before, and she wasn't sure if she trusted it or not. She was pretty sure nobody from Iwa could make anything cake-like taste like anything other than cardboard.
After a moment, she became aware he was watching her. He wanted to see her reaction, see if she liked them or not. Steeling herself for something foul, Kurotsuchi took a bite.
"How the hell did you make this?" She asked after a long pause.
"Same way anyone makes cakes." He answered dully, smirking. "Need a recipe?"
"This was not made by you. This was made by angels. Guys like you can't bake. Little girls bake."
"No angelic little girls here." Kankurou answered with a smirk. "Just Temari, and she's more like a monster."
"You should be nicer about your sister, you know."
"You kidding? You don't even like her..."
She shifted closer, cuddling up to him. "Yeah, but I put up with her for your sake, so you'd better be grateful."
"Believe me, I am." He answered, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her forehead. "You know, the sun's pretty much gone now."
"Yeah..."
"You want to go do something else?"
She thought about it for a moment. "We could go back to your place." She offered in what she considered to be a sweet voice.
"Are you offering what I think you're offering?" He asked with an eager grin.
"Maybe I am." She answered, mirroring his expression. "It'd be your first time after all, wouldn't it?"
One good thing about the facepaint he wore was that if he became embarrassed, any blush was hidden. "Well, I...that is...that's hardly relevant!"
"Thought so. So, are we all game?"
"Not if you just use this whole thing as a way to make fun of me." He muttered, pulling away and crossing his arms.
"Aw, don't sulk! I'm sorry." She pulled at his arm. "Forgive me?" No answer. "You're an amazing cook, by the way." Still no answer. "Come on, Kankurou, you know I love you really..."
Suddenly, he pulled her close again, and she ended up sprawled unceremoniously over his lap. "I love you too, babe."
~*~*~*~
Yome wasn't taking part in the festivities that night. Actually, she was feeling rather unwell. She had been all week but she was still refusing Shira's insistence that she go see a doctor. Right now, she was cuddled up on the sofa with a soup cup and a blanket.
She looked round as a door to her left creaked open. Shira offered a kind smile. "How are you feeling?"
Yome smiled back. "Better, I'll admit. Come here."
He obediently made his way over, settling down beside her and wrapping an arm around her shoulder. After a moment's hesitation, she offered him the soup cup. The way she was feeling, she didn't want to really eat anything. Reluctantly, he accepted it, concern just visible in his eyes. Still, it didn't make sense to waste it, so he drank some while Yome snuggled against his side. Her wide eyes were drawn to the window, watching the sunset-stained sky stretching on for miles. Beside her, she could feel Shira just itching to go outside. The people of this outpost were celebrating, and he was inside caring for his sick girlfriend.
"Sorry..." She mumbled against his shirt. He turned to look at her in surprise.
"Why are you apologising?" She glanced up and gave him a sheepish look and a pout. "Don't worry about the shirt, you can't help being ill. Listen, as long as you're comfortable, I'm happy."
"You're sweet, but you should still have fun."
"We can enjoy ourselves without going out."
Yome thought it over for a second before sighing and nuzzling Shira's chest with her head. "We can watch a movie."
"Any one you want." He answered, rubbing her back.
Yome briefly wondered how her best friends were doing. It had been a while since she had seen Temari and Sen.
Sen herself was also feeling unwell, but a vastly different kind. She felt like her entire body was being twisted by anxiety. Hands shaking, she moved two mugs of fresh coffee onto a tray and went to carry it into the living room.
Yagura, sprawled out across the sofa, was aware something was up from the very moment he had come in. She always managed to compose herself right before she entered the same room as him, and was clearly avoiding the subject, but he was determined to find out what was stressing her so much as to take away her normal composure. He watched her walk in with a mug of coffee in her hands, and gladly accepted the one intended for him, taking a small sip as he watched her closely.
"Sen." He began firmly. She looked at him with one eyebrow raised, as though asking what his problem was. "What's wrong?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean something is clearly wrong."
"It's nothing." She answered breezily, waving him off.
"Don't bullshit me."
"Don't start a fight tonight of all nights, Yagura-san."
"I'm not trying to! I just want to know why my girlfriend is so stressed."
"It's a girl thing. You wouldn't understand so just drop it." She busied her mouth with her coffee then and Yagura gave up and excused himself to the bathroom.
As he washed his hands, something caught his eye. He wasn't sure what it was, maybe that the small bin was full, or that it was full of identical boxes. He glanced over and frowned, getting down to get a better look. A collection of pink boxes, contents hurriedly stuffed back inside them. He picked up one of the boxes and upturned it, shaking it until a small, white stick fell out. Things were beginning to make sense.
Sen jumped when the bathroom door was slammed open. Heavy footfalls. Yagura was angry about something.
"A girl thing?!" He snapped as he stalked into his girlfriend's living room. "If you meant what I think you meant, then this is not a 'girl thing'! This is an us thing!"
She stared in shock at him, unsure what he meant until she noticed the box in his hand. Oh hell. She knew he wouldn't be happy. "Get out." She told him. Wait, no, she didn't mean to say that...
"What?...Sen, this kid is my kid too. Unless you've already gotten rid of it..."
"Don't even suggest that!" She snapped, leaping to her feet defensively.
"Why don't you want me involved?"
"Because I don't even want a baby, and neither do you!"
Ah. She had him there. He stuck his hands in his pockets and sighed. "I just can't believe you didn't tell me..."
"We'd still get into this fight if I did." She muttered.
"That's a lie and you know it! God, you don't tell me anything, make me worry and then get stressy with me when I show some damn concern!"
"It's not like that." She hissed. Sighing heavily, Yagura weaved his way around the chairs and drew Sen into a hug. She struggled, snapping at him to let go.
"Not until you calm down." He answered firmly. "I just wish you'd actually consider us a couple for once instead of two separate entities. I'm involved in things like this whether you like it or not."
They were still and silent for the longest time, and slowly Sen wrapped her arms around Yagura.
"Fine, whatever, I don't care any more."
"You're so stubborn."
"You like stubborn."
"Yeah...I like you a lot..."
~*~*~*~
Back in Sunagakure, a young man passed roughly through the crowds, scowl on his face and arms working to draw his jacket tighter around himself. He was obviously in a foul mood, and those who noticed chose to steer clear. He sneered at them. Happy little idiots lost in their own bubble where everything was perfect and all they could see clearly was their boyfriend or girlfriend. Ridiculous festivals...
Sajin didn't like to think of himself as bitter. Sure, he never formed any good relationships with anyone, except for maybe that one boy who he'd spent the last month and a half writing a love letter for, and there he was, out in the cold looking like he'd like to murder half the population, but there was good cause for that, and that cause was known as his tight-fisted, strict, unkind, homophobic bitch of a mother. That was why the genin was fuming. During the most recent fight between the two, they'd both decided they would be happier if Sajin lived anywhere other than home. The problem was he didn't see much of a choice of other places for him to go to.
A low, loud growl reminded him he hadn't eaten the whole day. He shifted the rucksack on his back with a sigh. From his home he had brought the bare minimum, or what he could grab before he was dragged out by the scuff of his neck for threatening to kill his own mother. A change of clothes (no underwear or jackets in his haste), his wallet, a cuddly toy hippo that always held a special place in his heart and the letter for the other boy. It wasn't a very good haul, he would admit, but anything was better than nothing. He placed the bag on the floor and removed his wallet, although part of him was sure he had already spent what little he'd had on a big bottle of water. He stepped towards a stall selling dango and opened his wallet, only to find his suspicions confirmed. Nothing left, or at least nothing that would buy him anything at all. Damn it, he was hungry...
Sighing, he walked on again, unaware he was being watched. He kept going until he reached an empty bench, which he happily slumped down onto. He brought a foot up, trying to rub away the ache from walking so long. He had a few moments to himself to wallow in self-pity before a stick of dango was shoved in front of his face. Scowl settling in place once more, he looked up to see Korobi, another ninja with whom he was acquainted. "What the hell do you want?"
Korobi looked off to the side, this rejection already hitting hard. "Well, I wanted to do something nice for you...so I bought this for you..."
Hesitantly, Sajin accepted it and polished off the sweet in seconds. Korobi sat beside him with a cheerful smile.
"You seem happy."
"Well..." He bowed his head, not looking at the long-haired man. "It's a festival...and I might get to spend the night with this guy I really like, and-"
"You're gay?"
Korobi hesitated before giving a slight nod. Sajin's heart did a little dance of victory before he reached into his bag, fingers closing around the love note.
"I get a lot of shit for being open about it myself." He admitted, brushing some of his hair back behind his ear. "I guess that's why I'm out here tonight. I'm sick of fighting and letting others rule my life."
"What does that mean?"
"It means I had a fight with the old bag I call my mother and now I'm free from her forever." He drew the note out of his bag and flicked it over to Korobi without so much as a glance. He heard the larger man unfold the paper and read the note. He shut his eyes and breathed deeply. Normally he was hard to shake, but for some reason the prospect of asking this other man out terrified him. Then, he felt something wet on his cheek. Opening his eyes, he found Korobi had kissed him. For once, things were looking up for Sajin.
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