Blood is Full of Empty Promises

An hour and several glasses later Ayaka was drunk and Gaara was giving her this weird expression. "I think it's time for me to take you home," he said more to himself than to Ayaka. She just nodded.

"No arguing?" he asked. "You should get drunk more often." Gaara chuckled at his humor and paid the bill. He returned a few seconds later to help Ayaka back to his home.

"You smell nice," Ayaka said as she leaned against Gaara. He felt his face grow hot and knew he was blushing. He knew now from what Temari told him that he liked Ayaka. She was beautiful with her long blue, green hair and big blue eyes. Her white skin was pure like her heart that she tried so hard to hide.

"Lord Gaara, may we assist you?" the guard of the palace asked as he approached them with a drunk woman.

"No thank you, I'll be just fine on my own," he answered and continued into the building and towards his room. This was going to be the first night that she stayed in the village. She was staying in his room so he figured he'd just sleep in his study at his desk. It shouldn't be too uncomfortable.

At this point Ayaka was on the verge of passing out. She was dragging her feet more and more so Gaara stopped and swooped her up into his arms. It was sort of a romantic gesture, but not so much since she was drunk out of her mind.

He carried her all the way over to his king sized bed and used his sand to pull back the covers. He set her down and covered her up. In the desert it got cold at night and he didn't want her to become sick again.

"Goodnight Ayaka," he whispered and turned to leave. He was stopped when Ayaka grabbed his hand.

"Stay," she said. Gaara knew that she was drunk and refused to take advantage of her even if it was just to sleep next to her. He didn't want to anger her when she woke up.

"I won't."

"Stay 'til I fall asleep?" she asked in a small voice. She reminded him of a girl clinging to her mother. She looked scared and sad all at once.

Gaara sighed. "Alright."

The moon was bright and shined in threw the window casting shadows throughout the room. It was quiet and Gaara could hear his own heartbeat loud in his ears as he held Ayaka's hand. Her grip didn't loosen, but until it did he couldn't leave her.

"Gaara?"

"Mmm?"

"I'm sorry I've been so rude to you."

Gaara reached over and brushed her hair behind her ears. "You have nothing to apologize for. I more than anyone can understand your pain."

"Did someone you love betray you too?" she asked.

"My father tried to kill me not once but several times. He thought I was a monster. He wanted me to become the villages ultimate weapon so he placed with one-tailed beast inside of me. I became very unstable after that and he considered his project a failure. He ordered me to be assassinated, but thankfully I have the ultimate defense: my sand."

"I'm sorry," he heard her whisper and he knew that she meant it.

"Did someone you love betray you?" he asked and Ayaka's forehead wrinkled.

"I don't know, but he left me. It was my fault, but I was so confused. I didn't know what to do. What if he needed me? I just sat there and called him a...monster..."

Gaara stared at her not sure what to say, but then grew relieved when he realized she had fallen asleep. Who knew that she would weaken her walls when she was drunk?

Gaara kissed her hand and placed it next to her on the bed. He got up and used his sand to cover the window and the doorway. He would know if anyone came into or left this room. Gaara left and posted a guard outside her door to ensure her safety.

He finally found someone that he cared about, just like Naruto. Naruto had been his first true friend and he cherished that friendship and would continue to do so in the afterlife.

Making his way down the hall and to his study he noticed how truly quiet everything was. He had never realized it before. There were no sounds. He couldn't even hear the guards keeping watch outside.

His hair started to stand up on end. His body sensed that something wasn't right. Gaara ran to roof where Temari’s squad would be watching over the village and found them all on the ground except Temari. She was nowhere to be found.

“Sound the alarm!” he yelled down at the guards that were watching the entrance and they echoes his command. Soon the village was alive with Sand shinobi ready to defend their village once again. Gaara ran to find Kankurro with the intelligence division.

“Have you seen Temari?” he asked feeling a little panicked for his sister.

“No, what’s going on?”

“I found the guards knocked out on the roof. Someone took them out,” Gaara answered. He was about to make some more orders when he felt his sand that he had carefully placed in his room being disturbed.

Gaara bolted for his room. His heart raced and panic consumed him. He had never in his life felt this way before and it was almost as if his room was just getting farther and farther away. Kankurro wasn’t far behind him.

Gaara found the guard outside his room dead and he broke through the door and found a shinobi dressed in black hovering over Ayaka’s sleeping body. Gaara’s sand was faster than lighting as it hardened itself over Ayaka to protect her as she slept.

“Damn it,” the man said and looked to find Gaara and Kankurro standing in the doorway. He took a step back and jumped through the window.

“He’s getting away,” Kankurro yelled and followed him out the window. Gaara on the other hand, couldn't bring himself to leave Ayaka’s side.

The village became more alive in the next few minutes. Sand shinobi covered the village ready for anything. Soon Kankurro returned with a defeated look on his face. “I’m sorry, Lord Gaara, but he got away,” he said gritting his teeth in anger.

“Find Temari,” Gaara ordered and Kankurro nodded and left the room.