Chapter 8 - I Need New Friends...

All was quiet, the trio staring at the duo. Gaara broke the silence first.

"I don't know or care who you are or where you are from, but you three owe me a new office door."

The brunette joined the blonde. "Don't you play stupid! We want Panda-chan back NOW!"

Gaara's mouth twitched slightly, and he turned to face Akara.

"Panda-chan?"

She shot him a withering glare. "Don't ask." She pinched the bridge of her nose in agitation. "Kaori, Kristen, what are you doing here?"

"We came to bring you back to Kiri," said the wavy-haired brunette, "We need you."

"Yeah," said Kaori, coming forward, "so hell or high water, we're bringing you back!"

Akara sighed. I need new friends...

"Guys," said Akara, voice edgy, "Even if I could come home, I wouldn't."

"Why?"

"I'm a Suna nin now. I pledged loyalty to Suna, and to leave would breach that loyalty and trust."

Kaori stared. "But what about Kiri? Don't you miss home? Don't you miss US?"

"I do miss you. Believe me. But if I go with you, I'll be killed. Plus, you guys would be banished too if you bring me back!"

The wavy-haired brunette let out a nervous laugh. "Yeah...about that...we're technically banished because we're AWOL at the moment..."

"YOU GUYS ARE WHAT, MARIA-SENSEI?!"

Maria winced. "We're absent without leave, plotting to bring back a banned shinobi, and on top of that, I cussed out the Mizukage."

Akara stared. Maria, Kaori, and Kristen shifted uncomfortably in Akara's glare. Gaara sweat dropped.

"You guys are such idiots. But you're all my idiots."

And just like that, the tension broke. Kaori and Kristen laughed and threw their arms around Akara's neck. Maria turned to the highly confused Kazekage.

"We're staying in Suna, but we'll probably end up in Konoha soon. Do you know of a good hotel?"

~~~~~~~~~~

A week later, Gaara was in his office, reading over a report on burkas (don't ask). Maria, Kristen, Kaori, and Temari were out shopping, while Akara was filing some paperwork for him. Kankuro walked in, smiling broadly.

"Guess what, Gaara?"

Gaara looked up. "What? Did someone we hate die?"

Kankuro looked at him funny, then smiled again. "I have a mission! Temari does, too!"

Gaara stared. Kankuro continued smiling like an idiot.

"So?"

"So," said Kankuro, growing serious, "You and 'Kara-chan are going to have to watch the house while we're gone. Also, 'Mari said to ask 'Kara-chan to stop by the grocery store...we need oranges..."

Kankuro left, while Gaara returned to his work. Although he was looking at the paper before him, he didn't read a word of it. There was something that had been on his mind lately...

Gaara threw down the report. Growling, he raked a hand through his hair. What the hell was with him today? It wasn't like breakfast was bothering him, Akara had...

He snapped his fingers. That was it! The dream he had about Akara last week was what was bothering him. He stood, and walked to the window. Yeah, what had THAT been about? He certainly didn't think of her that way. No. Impossible.

He pressed his forehead against the glass. Why was he worried about that damn dream? It was vulgar, pointless, degrading, and...he stopped.

It was sexy.

And he'd liked it.

He shook his head violently. Snap out of it, Gaara! It was a wet dream, for Kami's sake! He picked up his pen, and started signing more papers, a frown on his face.

Damn hormones...

~~~~~~~~~~~

Akara walked to the house, humming a tune under her breath. She walked in, setting the grocery bag on the ground.

"'Mari-chan! Kankuro-kun! I'm home!"

"They aren't here." She gasped, and spun around.

"Gaara-sama! You scared me!"

He smirked. "Just making sure you're on alert. My bodyguard has to be ready for anything."

She scowled. She was really beginning to hate that smirk. That sarcastic, overbearing, infuriating, sexy...

She mentally shrieked. What the hell?! Where had that thought come from?!

"Shut up," she replied. He looked at her.

"Make me."

"Don't tempt me," she said, pushing past him and making dinner.

~~~~~~~~~~

Gaara went downstairs for a cup of coffee, as per usual, when he heard Akara singing again. He'd by now figured out that she only sang when she was thinking hard about something, and he could tell when she was upset by listening to the song.

She doesn't look, she doesn't see
Opens up for nobody,
Figures out, she figures out...
Narrow line, she can't decide,
Everything short of suicide
Never hurts, nearly works...

She stopped. "Gaara-sama, get your goddamned coffee and leave. Now."

He silently cursed himself.

"Why do you always catch me in the middle of a song?"

He poured a cup, and leaned against the countertop. "Maybe I'm just lucky?"

She snorted. "Yeah, right...Lucky, my @$$..."

He smirked. "Lucky-@$$?"

She sneered, walking out the kitchen door. "Not what I meant," she said crossly, walking across the living room and starting up the stairs.

"What did you mean then?"

"I just meant that I highly doubted it that it was an accident."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that you're an arrogant jerk who makes fun of the very people who can beat you down if they tried!" She ran the rest of the way up the stairs, and slammed her door closed.

That statement stung. He didn't like Akara that much, but he did feel slightly unnerved when his subjects didn't like him. it brought back bad memories...

"Mom said not to play with him!"

"It's Gaara! Run for it!"

"Kankuro, don't speak to him right now...he'll kill you..."

He shook his head, and sighed. It'll have to wait for morning.

~~~~~~~~~~

Akara sat in her room, staring out the window. Why'd she go and say that? Bad enough she insulted him, but she had to go and break his emotions?! She realized he was infuriating, but she had no right to go and hurt his feelings...

She yawned, and looked at the clock. Twelve in the morning. Akara sighed. She'd worry about it in the morning.

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