The Flower Shop [A Gaara Love Story]

5: Light Blue

In her distraction while staring up at the sky, she had bumped right into someone who seemed to be paying equally less attention than she was. Momoko stumbled back a little, having lost her balance for a moment from the collision.

     "Watch where you're going, would ya?!" The man shouted at her despite having hardly budged from the impact. He was only a bit taller than she was, dressed head to toe in black shinobi gear with his face covered in purple painted markings. He was a little handsome if you could squint past the paint, but that hardly changed the fact that his rudeness had slightly put her off. She felt her cheeks heat a little at his harsh words and she tugged down the skirt of her dress as she tried to recompose herself.

    "I'm sorry," She said with an apologetic little smile, "I wasn't really paying attention."

    "Clearly," He huffed, crossing his arms at her. He had opened her mouth to stay something else, but was cut off by the person next to him. Momoko hadn't really noticed his companion before, but certainly did now.

     "Enough, Kankuro." The Kazekage said, his tone as flat as it had been the only other time she had interacted with him. He was still dressed in his Kazekage robes, meaning he must have just gotten out of his office. Seeing him here only made her feel a little more embarrassed at her own clumsiness and she was quick to bow before him.

     "Lord Kazekage," She said quickly, coming up from her bow to offer him a small smile, "Forgive me, I didn't mean to interrupt your walk."

  He held up his hand to show her bow was not necessary, "No need to apologize, Miss Akiyama. Kankuro wasn't paying attention either."

    "I was too!" The other man, Kankuro, said from beside him. He turned his eyes back to say something to her again before he seemed to pause, "Wait...Akiyama?"

    Monoko gave him a smile and nodded. He stared at her for a moment as though seeing her for the first time before a snort passed his lips, followed quickly by a loud laugh.

     "So this is the flower girl?" He laughed, and Momoko felt her ears grow hot as her cheeks grew hotter, suddenly feeling more self conscious than she had in awhile. Maybe it was his laughter, or the way he had said 'flower girl' in such a teasing manner, but Momoko suddenly felt entirely too small. Gaara seemed to have noticed her silence and shot the other a quick glare.

     "Go find Temari," He said, his voice more an order than a question, "I'll catch up in a moment."

     Kankuro's laughter had died out but his lips were still spread in a goofy grin. He almost asked why Gaara wanted to stay behind, but instead agreed because of the look he was given before shooting another condescending look to Momoko.

     "Catch ya later then, flower girl."

     Gaara opened his mouth to silence him again, but the painted man had already slipped past her and started his way down the street.

     Momoko stood there staring at her feet, her face red and hands fiddling with the light fabric of her dress. She was embarrassed about a lot of things right then: bumping into someone, the Kazekage witnessing her bumping into someone, that someone then talking town to her and teasing her right in front of him. It wasn't so much that the Kazekage was important to her, more so that he was important to everyone else and here she felt like some little kid getting picked on by a playground bully.

     "I apologize for his rudeness," Gaara said, "He lacks manners, among other things."

     "It's alright," She said, offering him a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes this time. When they had first spoken, her eyes had lit up with the weight of her smile. Now though, they didn't seem to do that.