Salt in the Wound

My eyes snapped open and landed on startled blue ones. His hands clutched at my shirt, shaking me and I gripped my hands around his wrists and pulled his hands off of me. "His name is Roka Toru." I said quietly.

"What are you talking about? What happened to you?" Shaking my head, I nearly cried. Roka Toru was a Jounin from my village, a very powerful one at that. He was respected immensely until the day he was cast out of the village for treason, no one knew what happened to him so everyone assumed he had gotten lost in the desert and died of dehydration. Unfortunately, as I had just seen, he had stumbled upon the wounded Hihouka who was desperate and in need of life force. Something which Roka had offered with a price.

Roka wanted revenge on his village for casting him out.

Hihouka wanted revenge on his brother for overshadowing him.

Roka's revenge had been carried out with extra bonuses, unfortunately for me, Hihouka still hadn't got what he wanted. Until now. It was Roka and Hihouka who were trying to plot this war against the two allies, he had found me and knew exactly where my weaknesses lie. It figured he knew I had left Suna almost nine months ago and it was his objective to get me back here. Of course, he knew that if I found out Suna was troubled I wouldn't be able to turn my back so easily. How he knew where and when to find us however was beyond me. I turned my face back towards Gaara's. Lifting my hand, I cupped his cheek, forcing him to look me in the eyes. "Ishiko…" he said quietly, his lids lowering.

"I'm sorry Gaara, I don't know what to do." His hand wrapped around my wrist, gently pulling it away from his cheek. Before he could remove my hand, I acted on impulse. Knowing fully I would regret not doing this if I died without even trying. A lot was on the line, but hell, it was worth it.

I painfully pushed myself forward, stopping a mere half an inch away from his lips. "May I?" I breathed out softly. With half lidded eyes I glanced up to read his face. His eyes were relaxed, nearly closed and I could feel his breath on my lips. His hand let go of my wrist and I took that as a yes. Gently, I closed the gap between us, forcing my mouth onto his. My hand found the nape of his neck and softly intertwined my fingers in his short hair. He gently nipped at my bottom lip and ran his tongue softly against it, graciously I opened my mouth, allowing him entrance. It was this time he pushed forward, gentle and demanding at the same time. His hand wrapped around my lower back, shy of the bandages and took me closer to his body. His tongue drifted over mine, gripping me a little tighter. Breaking the kiss, he quickly moved his mouth to the crook in my neck, nipping at the sensitive area. I arched my back in pleasure and a small, almost possessive growl sounded from his throat. His mouth moved back up and crashed into mine with a force that knocked me back against the pillow, him following. The pain was almost forgettable as his hands braced my fall backwards, once we hit his hands slid around to rest on my hips.

He pulled apart suddenly, staring down at me with a rigid intensity. "I have to go." His voice was curt and had returned to it's normal emotionless tone. I wrapped my fist in the fabric of his jacket and pulled him closer.

"Please, don't go. Just this night, stay here." I said, pleading. If I had but one night to live, there was no other way I would want to spend it. If only he could have seen the terrors I did, maybe then he would realize there was no point in running away. His eyes shifted and he relaxed only slightly.

"I don't think that's a good idea Ishiko."

"I'm scared Gaara, something terrible is going to happen and I don't know when. I guess it would just be nice to have someone close." I looked away, biting my lip. What I wouldn't give for him to just understand. "If you don't want to stay then go." He stood up and with an almost angry look on his face he gathered up the papers from my bed and stalked out of the room. I grabbed the sides of my pillow and folded them over my face.

What a blunt way to turn someone down.

"Stop trying to smother yourself." I lifted my head up and watched Gaara walk over to me from the doorway, still slightly scowling. He turned the light off and closed the door, leaving us in only the blue moonlight, the bed shifted as he placed himself next to me. "Don't ever say I never did anything for you." I smiled to myself, not even caring to answer. I was tired, scared, frustrated, concerned, and a million other things that I wouldn't let ruin this moment. I refused to die with a handful of regrets still on my shoulders.

Taking another chance, I slowly turned my self over and rested my head against his chest. He tensed for a minute but no sooner relaxed and wrapped his hand around me, placing it on my back. His jacket was rough against my skin but I wasn't about to complain, having him this close was…well I couldn't explain it even if I had wanted to. This was as close to impossible as it got. I was happy, even knowing that as soon as I fell asleep he would slip out from under me and do what he did best at night.

His smell wrapped itself around me and the pattern of his breathing put me at ease. Sleep found me fast and I drifted far away from every negative thought and lurking shadow there was.