Obedience
-Chapter Twenty-Six-
Cacti
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~*~
Emiko's lashes fluttered open as it was early morning now. Her eyes moved to the side landing on Gaara who was sleeping beside her. Slow rhythmic breaths came from his lips and it took her all not to touch him. She never knew someone that could make sleeping look so good. A smile formed on her cheeks and she sat up so that she could get a better look at the morning day.
A blank expression grew on her face as she noticed that it was barely approaching morning and that it was still fairly dark outside. Her eyes landed on the clock set upon the window sill, which only read 4:50 am. She couldn't figure out why she was feeling so awake for the life of her.
Then, she spotted a little row of cacti trailing along the window sill. They were all very different and unique. Some of them even had flowers blooming. Her eyes widened in awe as she picked one up to look at. Lightly, she ran a finger along its prickly needles, fascinated by them.
"Emiko...?" Gaara's sleepy voice rang in her ears. She jumped at the sound of his voice, stabbing herself in the finger. "You should know better than to play with a cactus" Gaara murmured, capturing her bleeding finger.
"Did you grow these?" Emiko wondered, ogling at the row of different sorts of cacti. Gaara nodded and sent her a timid smile. "Yes...I did." He wasn't used to people taking a genuine interest in him, much less his hobbies. Although, he had gained quite a few fan-girls that liked him for his looks of course.
Gaara looked down to her finger, carefully plucking the thorn out. "Let's get you a band-aid" he guided her to the bathroom. Emiko stood behind the red head as he opened the medicine cabinet, "I...have more if you'd like to see them" he scanned the shelves, and grabbed a box of band-aids. "Sure" she breathed with excited eyes.
"They don't have cacti in the leaf" he wrapped a band aid around her finger, "Do they?"
"Nope" she replied, as the two of them exited the bathroom. The two of them traveled outside onto the patio where a stone pathway led all the way to a greenhouse. "Are you warm enough?" he asked, before they went any further. Emiko nodded.
As soon as they reached inside the greenhouse, she was astonished. There was so much plant life, he had to of been working on cultivation for years. Gaara turned to Emiko, only to find that her amethyst eyes were as wide as saucers.
"Gaara..." she twirled around to take in the view, "This is amazing!"
She ran over to the row of cacti, blooming with flowers. Colors of every kind scattered across the room. "I never had many friends, so..."
"I focused on these plants" he went to fill a watering can, "It calmed me...when I harbored the Shukaku inside of me." Sunbeams peaked through the glass of the greenhouse, glittering against Emiko's features. Gaara looked up, only to find her gazing at him with gentle eyes.
His heart thumped harder and for a moment it was as if all the pain he had endured had vanished. The closest thing he'd ever gotten to love was his uncle Yashamaru. Images flash fired in his mind and suddenly the hurt he'd once felt, returned. His uncle had betrayed him...who was to say she wouldn't do the same?
"You know" Emiko murmured, walking up to the boy. She touched his hand, guiding the watering can down to the table. "You're full of surprises" she inched near him, fitting a hand beneath his chin. Gaara melted against her touch, as she stared deep into his eyes. A small blush dusted his cheeks as she moved forward. As soon as their lips meant, all doubt in his mind obliterated.
"I should be getting to the office now" he whispered, averting his eyes from hers. Emiko couldn't help but release a small laugh. His blush had still been very prevalent.
~*~
It had been ages since Gaara had looked forward to seeing someone. Ever since Yashamaru left his life, he hadn't talked to many people aside from his siblings and those he had to in order to preform his duties as Kazekage. Normally he could immerse himself in his work throughout the whole day but this time it was different. His eyes found the clock and it had read 12:34. His stomach growled loudly, distracting himself from his paperwork. He hadn't packed a lunch for the day, which had probably been the cause of his inability to focus.
So he stood to his feet and pushed in his chair. Right before he could reach for the door handle, a head peeked out the door. Gaara stepped back a bit, shocked to find himself face to face with Emiko. Her eyes glistened happily as she opened the door wider and stepped inside.
"Emiko...?" he questioned, while she closed the door behind herself. She sent him a smile, "I'm not sure If I'm too late, but..." she held both hands behind her back, "I made you lunch" Gaara's eyes widened as she showed him the Bento box she had been hiding behind her back. "...A Bento box?" he questioned.
"Thank you...Emiko"
"I was ready to take my break," he told her, "Excuse me" he took off his robes and folded them neatly, placing them on his seat. "So where do you usually eat?" she questioned, while the left his office. "right here" he motioned to the left. There ahead of them was a sort of community park with a large coy pond in the center. Benches were scattered throughout the way with juniper trees beside them to provide shade.
"I can see why you have lunch here" Emiko studied the area. The two of them sat down on a nearby bench, just beside the pond. Gaara opened the Bento box, revealing a delicious looking meal. "Sunagimo...?" he questioned, picking up the meat skewer. "How did you-?"
"Temari told me it was one of your favorites" she smiled, taking out a Bento box of her own. "Thank you" he picked it up, taking a bite. The seasoning was just right and it tasted like the best home cooked meal he'd received since his father passed. "Hey!" Three children ran up to the two, "Can you do that thing?"
Emiko flashed the red head a look of confusion. Sand flowed out from his gourd and danced in front of the children to form what looked like a teddy bear. "Woah!" they awed,"Can you show us another one?" the little girl asked sheepishly. Gaara sent her a nod as he had formed a turtle and a dinosaur. All three children giggled, "That was awesome!"
Emiko studied him out of the corner of her eye and was caught smiling by the boy. Something tickled her hand and she looked down to find that his sand was forming something solid within it. Her smile grew as it's shape had formed into a rose.
"Oh" she laughed, beaming at him. "It's beautiful"
