A storm of sand and blaze (Gaara fanfiction and The Love Story He Deserves)

Chapter 23: Night thoughts

Baki had to cross a long and dark corridor to reach the chamber of the Fourth Kazekage at that time of the night. His legs were exhausted from running across the desert for so many hours and yet he stood still like an arrow when he finally met Rasa.

"Kazekage-sama", Baki made a quick bow. "I have important news from the Haru Kaito mission".

"What is it?" Rasa asked almost with an offensive tone as if he knew already that something had gone terribly wrong.

"We found him dead when we arrived at the place he was hiding".

"?!"

"We corroborated it. It was him".

"But how?"

"The den was completely burned down. Nothing but ashes was left a kilometer around. We could only get his calcinated bones".

"I see..." Rasa said with a cold voice and remained quiet from some seconds as if he were thinking how to proceed next. "And the girl?"

"We searched for her for hours, but we could not find any trace of her scent or footsteps".

"Could she have blown up herself by trying to escape from her father?"

"Most likely that was the case".

"Remarkable, don't you think?"

"Beg your pardon..." Baki said doubtfully.

"Don't you think is quite remarkable the amount of power the women from the Kaji clan had? I always found them full of eagerness, fervidness... Just look at what an untrained little girl could do all by herself. I guess such irrepressible passions cannot be sane". Rasa said meditative, almost as if he were talking to himself. "It's a pity, though. We could have used the kid. After all, she had potential from both parental sides".

"There is something else, milord", Baki continued. "Gaara didn't come with us to the mission today. He insisted he was not feeling well".

"Do you consider it can be dangerous?"

"No".

"Then just keep an eye on him. I don't want him to be causing trouble".

Baki nodded and left the chamber quickly. Before taking any rest, he needed to appoint some guards to look for Gaara.

Meanwhile, in the darkness, Feza turned around on the futon. Her nose could almost touch Gaara's nape but he was sleeping so deeply already that she thought for a second, she could get even closer and touch his red hair with her nose.

"What are you doing?" Shukaku suddenly asked before she proceeded.

"Nothing..." She replied embarrassed.

"Don't even think about touching him." The One-Tailed Beast explained "His sand will activate automatically, and he will wake up and catch you... Haha!"

"That's a shame..." She sighed hopelessly, closing her eyes. "All this situation is a real shame!"

"Uh? Why is that? At least we didn't die inside a monster's stomach!"

"Not definitely, no". She explained laying on her back, crossing her arms behind her head. "But a part of me did. Before coming here, I felt so empty. I had no particular wishes or goals or dreams. I was like a shell just filled with hesitation and loneliness. I don't even know what Gaara liked about me, to be honest".

"I liked you even if you were always so gloomy". Shukaku appointed, "But it always seemed to me that you were missing something".

"I was missing my past". Feza said kind of sad. "But I was so blind that I didn't even know what I didn't know. I was so conformist and coward, that I didn't even wonder it. But our past matters, right? It doesn't define us, but it does give us some basis".

"I guess it does..." Shukaku said thoughtfully. "But don't let the sins of your parents be a big part of you".

The girl shook her head and then looked at Gaara again.

"But I guess now that we know the past, things will be different for us".

"It's a bit ironic to think that you were always related in a way", Shukaku said.

"Yeah..." The girl sighed. "We will have to wait until this ends, and we get back home, to see how it goes. Things will change, and us too. But I believe in him, nonetheless. He is so wise and kind, don't you think?"

"He gives me that impression as well". Shukaku confirmed. "But too shy, in my opinion. Sometimes he exasperates me".

"That's because you are a rogue. I'm pretty sure he feels nervous knowing you can be listening".

Shukaku laughed shamelessly because he could not deny it. Feza smiled too and very gently, again, she tried to touch a red lock of hair with the tip of her nose. However, for both Shukaku and her surprise, the sand didn't intervene.

"!"

"!"

Feza smiled one last time, she would have liked to put her arms around him and embrace him but she did not dare in the end. Instead, she covered his shoulders with the blanket and closed her eyes trying to fall asleep with the rhythmical sound of his breathing.