Desire

~Two Days Later~

Lost in a world of silk and golden thread, Ai sat, transfixed, by the sight of red. It burned for her in the distance, bright and vibrant, mocking, almost, in the callous way the silk billowed and swayed when hung in front of the window. The red silk licked the floor as it moved, inviting her to wrap it around herself.

Her thoughts travelled to her first meeting with him, with Gaara, the jinchuriki. She sighed; so he had become the Kazekage? With a small smile, she looked down to the white silk in her hands that she was supposed to be inspecting. He had become the greatest shinobi in the village…no wonder he was so arrogant and unnecessarily confrontational! He spoke to her as though he already owned her!...But why did that make him so much more-

"Ai?" The sound of her name spoken so sharply snatched her out of her fantasies and threw her back into reality. In reality she was sat on the floor, besides Megumi and Miko's throne-like chairs, as a merchant threw various fabrics into the air, letting them unfurl at the women's feet. Megumi was choosing material to be made into dresses for the women of the Tea House to wear at the festival that evening.

Megumi, Miko and the tailor were looking at Ai in alarm and she followed their eyes downwards to her hands. "Oh, sorry!" She exclaimed and released the white silk in her hands as she realised she had been clutching the delicate fabric with such a vice-like grip that she could have damaged it. Brushing her hair behind her ear in embarrassment, Ai looked over to her teacher who's look of alarm did not falter as she nodded towards the material in Miko's hands.

"Oh," Ai spoke softly and looked down to the turquoise colour that had caught Miko's eye and smiled her approval. "It is beautiful," Ai said and stole a quick glance up at the red silk. The merchant, an elderly man that had been the tailor for the Tea House for many years, saw her looking and smiled.

"Has red captured your attention, utsukushii (pretty one)?" He asked her and Ai jumped and blushed under such scrutiny.

"No." She said defiantly and averted her eyes from the window.

"Ai will be wearing white." Megumi, Ai's teacher, stated without looking up from her inspection of the turquoise material Miko had chosen. Her aged hands ran along the cotton, which had silver threads spun throughout it to look like shooting stars.

"White?" Ai asked in surprise; why on Earth would Megumi-sama want to send her when she had argued with the Kazekage and who she had then described as arrogant to her fellow courtesans? Surely her meeting with him was a cause for embarrassment; the Kazekage had practically stormed out! "I'm going?" Megumi looked up at the girl and sighed in exasperation before bowing her head to let her round glasses slide to the tip of her nose so she could look at Ai properly.

"We have to present a gift to the Kazekage on behalf of the Tea House-"

"But I-"

"You will be suitable."

"But he-"

"That is all, Ai." Megumi stated in a matter-of-fact way. Suitable, the word echoed in Ai's head as she sat in stony silence.

From that moment the meeting followed in the usual business-like manner, the vibrancy of the red silk seemed to fade away and dissolve into the background as Ai sat, forced to stare at different shades of white, silently fuming at the thought of being in the same room as that egotistic, vain, good looking, fool! Ai simply crossed her arms and pouted all the way through the fitting, occasionally she nodded or murmured agreement until, eventually, the tailor left.

Ai stood as soon as Megumi and Miko had said goodbye to him and shut the doors. The young dancer tapped her feet impatiently to hear the jingle of her anklets; she lifted up her long skirt and inspected the chains on her feet to ensure there were no entanglements of the bells.

Miko and Megumi were stood by the door where they had bid the tailor farewell and, when Miko left, Megumi turned and appraised Ai who was inspecting her anklets as though they had done her some personal insult.

"I hope the Kazekage can see past the dark cloud of pride that spins above your head." Megumi said sternly and Ai looked at her in earnest.

"I'm sorry, sensei," the young girl let her shoulders fall in defeat; "it's just that…the way he talks to me! The way he looks at me! You would think he-"

"Owned you?" Megumi raised an eyebrow at her student and waited for Ai to respond. Ai cast her eyes downwards and pulled all her hair to one side of her neck.

There was no need to confirm it, for it was true; Ai belonged to him the moment he threw the bag of coins to her at their first meeting.

A few more moments of silence passed between the two women; both stuck on either sides of the courtesan world. The elder, Megumi, was too used to shutting her emotions away to realise exactly how Ai felt and Ai, the younger, was too naïve to really understand the implications of her trade.

Ai watched out of the corner of her eye as her teacher walked over to her throne-like chair and sat down before gesturing for Ai to sit in front of her. Ai did as told and knelt in front of her teacher as she had been taught to do from the moment she arrived at this place. Megumi reached down and took Ai's hands in hers; she looked deep into the young girl's blue eyes that were so full of hope.

"You know why it has to be you?" Megumi asked in a voice that was dripping with melancholy. "Because you are untouched." Ai lowered her gaze; she hated being reminded of it- of the fact that her worth came down simply to her virginity. "That is suitable for a Kazekage…" Megumi continued to speak, giving Ai the age-old lecture that every courtesan hears from their master. "I am sure I do not need to remind you of your uses? Of how to behave amongst men of power?" Megumi questioned the young courtesan who looked up at her and shook her head. "He will adore you." Megumi said sweetly as though speaking to a daughter; the elder woman lifted her hand and stroked Ai's hair in a motherly way. "He will marvel at your beauty and gasp in your seduction," Ai lowered her head, her cheeks turning slightly pink. "And he may even tell you he loves you." After a moment of Megumi looking her up and down, she sighed, "you know no one can truly love a courtesan, just as a courtesan can never truly love anyone. She sells only a dream of her heart, an imitation." Megumi put a finger under Ai's chin and lifted the young girl's head to look up at her. "You know why I am telling you this?" Ai nodded.

"There is only heartbreak in love." She recited. Ai inwardly scoffed; her teacher had no idea that the person she was talking about was Gaara. She was lucky in one respect; Gaara, the monster, was incapable of loving anyone. In a strange, twisted way, it was a perfect match.

The young Kazekage was sat at his desk, as he always was since his appointment. Scribbling on papers, looking through mission reports and occasionally requesting things from the servant outside his office.

Gaara was reading through a particularly mundane report from a team of genin when his concentration was broken and he heard it. A noise that had been haunting him for days, giving him tormented nights and hours full of lost thoughts.

That damned tinkling! As though stars were falling to the Earth and shattering into millions of tiny pieces. He heard it everywhere; he could not be rid of it!

Today he was supposed to be preparing for the traditions involved with accepting the position of Kazekage but Gaara's thoughts were a world away from anything to do with the festival tonight. His mind was solely occupied by a vision of blue eyes, being licked and teased by dark, shimmering waves of hair. The young Kazekage, beside himself with frustration, ran a hand through his hair and sighed. The look on her face when he said goodbye was a look he will never forget. Her beautiful eyes narrowed on him as though asking him to stay and there was something in that look, a feeling of want and confusion that stirred something in Gaara that he had taken two years to calm down. Something shook and vibrated in his very core, at just the thought of her.

"No!" He said out loud and brought his fist down on the table with such force that a small crack formed in the wood. This distraction was ridiculous! She was a courtesan! She sold herself and that was something that Gaara simply could not fathom; did it not insult her, to be amongst women who degraded themselves?

He stood from his desk, determined to find the source of the sound and be rid of it forever. As he stood, however, his elder sister entered the room.

"Gaara," Temari said and raised an eyebrow at the look of surprise on her brother's face; "going somewhere?"

"I," Gaara thought about how absurd it would sound to Temari if he told her he was being tormented by the sound of anklets, "was coming to find you." He finished.

"Oh?" Temari stood in the doorway and appraised her younger brother; he had been somewhat distracted for the past few days. Gaara was, perhaps, non-responsive most days but distractions lead him to days without speaking a word to anyone. It was unnerving, this new Gaara, the quiet, respectful Kazekage that had come to be. Temari was sure it was merely the quiet before the storm. Gaara took a deep breath and exhaled as though irritated by something.

"How are plans for this evening going?" He asked, hoping she would remember she had to organise something and leave. To his dismay, Temari smiled proudly and put her hands on her hips.

"We are almost finished." The blonde shinobi could already tell her brother had stopped listening. "The council requires your presence in one hour to go over the Kazekage agreement." She said sharply and Gaara looked up at her.

"Oh, yes, I'll be there." He rubbed the back of his neck and did not bid his sister farewell as she left the room with a cheerful wave.

Temari closed the door behind her and leant against the hard wood to contemplate what was happening. She thought Gaara might be nervous about today but he seemed positively terrified; his mind seemed to be racing with thoughts he never let anyone in on. She bit her thumb impatiently as she walked away and couldn't help but think Kankuro had something to do with this.

The evening came quickly for the new Kazekage. Too quickly; he wanted to finish his work before the festival but he had been so distracted that he ran out of time.

He had already signed the formal agreement earlier that day, with his council and siblings as witnesses. Gaara thought of how his hand had trembled slightly, as the weight of responsibility loomed over him before he signed. But before he knew it, Gaara was already a few steps from his brother and sister who were stood, waiting to take him out to be seen by the village.

"Oi, Gaara!" Kankuro called to him and Gaara, feeling a little numb and apprehensive, looked down the corridor to his elder siblings and began to walk towards them.

"How are you feeling?" Temari asked with a smile as he approached. She exchanged a quick look with Kankuro; both had noticed Gaara's lack of enthusiasm for the impending evening. They were surprised, however, when Gaara took his place between them and looked at his sister with soft eyes.

"What makes a good Kazekage?" He asked her and the blonde shinobi bowed her head with a smile.

"You do." She replied and put a hand on his shoulder. Gaara turned as he felt the weight of Kankuro's hand fall onto his other shoulder. The puppeteer looked at his brother with a broad smile.

"Ready?" Kankuro asked. Gaara nodded.

The three sand siblings walked in their line to the doors that lead to the palace's most grand balcony. It was a place where the Kazekage usually addressed his people in a time of crisis or jubilance. Gaara wondered which of those two would be felt tonight.

He took a breath as the two huge wooden doors creaked open before them and for a moment the light of the dying sun blinded Gaara as he walked out. He blinked against the golden light to see the inhabitants of Sunagakure stood in silence. Thousands of civilians looked up at the young Kazekage who was stood on the balcony above them.

Temari was greeted by a silence she knew too well; the silence of fear. Each member of the village saw Gaara stood before them and could not believe their eyes. Would they accept him?

"Gone," Gaara spoke suddenly, "are the times of hardship and violence." Temari turned to her brother, shocked to hear him speak like a born-leader. "Gone are the hours of terror and silence." Temari felt her eyes begin to well up with tears. "I am your Kazekage, your servant, my people." Gaara's voice carried on the winds of the desert, down to the gathered crowd that stood in eerie silence. "I bring the beginning of fortuitous days." Before Gaara had even finished his sentence, Sunagakure erupted into a frenzy of cheers and shouts of celebration.

"Gaara," Kankruo whispered and wiped his eyes hurriedly as the red headed Kazekage turned to him.

"What is it, Kankuro?" Gaara asked softly, looking at both his siblings with a small frown. They were smiling, but their eyes were misted over; what strange emotion was that?

"Nothing," Kankuro replied and, in an instant, his attitude changed and he embraced his brother. "Let's celebrate!"

"Yes!" Temari shouted and as soon as Kankuro let go of his younger brother, Temari grabbed a hold of Gaara, almost suffocating him.

The evening passed much as Gaara had anticipated; being pushed back and forth to meet various people of his council. Putting his hand in the air to wave at his people when they called him. Eating with whoever gave him food, drinking with whoever gave him wine. As the day moved on and the sun began to set Gaara found he was tired from the constant blushing over the attention everyone suddenly showed him.

"It's been a long day, I want to rest." Everyone seemed to agree with him on this and as he left he had to endure many goodbyes before he reached the palace again. His escort left him here and now he was sure he could hear the haunting sound of anklets once more.

"Gaara!" He turned, not at the sound of his name, but at the tinkle of anklets. His expression of hope was replaced by mild disgust as he was approached by a slightly tipsy Kankuro.

"Oh, it's you." Gaara was actually talking to the girl in turquoise who was draped over Kankuro's arm; she wore anklets.

"I think you'll find our friends at the Tea House have left a gift for you in the palace." Kankuro winked at him. Gaara's eyes widened as Kankuro and the girl slinked away, back into the festivities. The Kazekage sighed before ascending the steps to his quarters.

Gaara approached his bedroom door with caution; he had searched every other room in the palace and they had been empty so he was sure he would find the gift in here. He pushed the doors open and looked around the room.

"You!" He stopped in shock at his door as he saw who was in front of him.

"Kazekage." Ai was stood in the middle of the room and bowed as she addressed him, trying to hide her resentment for being back in the same room as him.

"What're you doing here?!" Gaara was puzzled by the intrusion but shut the door behind him and walked into his room.

"I'm your gift…from the Tea House." She answered with equal confusion; why was he playing innocent?

"But why would they send you-"

"Hey!" She stood to her full height and dropped her sweet-toned voice before crossing her arms. "I wasn't exactly too thrilled about it either." She pouted.

"You're angry…at me?" Gaara too, folded his arms and looked her up and down as though she were an opponent to weigh up.

"You never told me you were the Kazekage!" As she said it, Ai seemed to remember that he was indeed the Kazekage and she should hold her tongue in front of him. She bowed her head and waited for him to speak.

Gaara considered her for a moment, stood before him in a white silk dress, adorned with diamonds the size of which he had never seen. She even had a string of diamonds tied in her hair like a halo. Ai looked innocent, and unaware of any affect she had on mankind; with her glistening pink lips and dark-rimmed eyes, Gaara found he could not hold on to his shock.

"Forgive me." He stated calmly and as he did Ai looked up and unfolded her arms, "how long are you here for?" Gaara asked and removed his Kazekage hat before placing it on a table next to him. His sudden change in demeanour made Ai soften too; perhaps she had been too quick to judge.

"I will stay at the palace for as long as you wish." Ai began to walk over to him as she saw he was going to remove the outer robe of the Kazekage uniform. "Here," she murmured and put both her hands on his right shoulder, "allow me." Gaara looked down to her, she was mere inches from his face glistening and glittering in diamonds, keeping her gaze purposefully averted.

Ai pulled gently at the material and guided it off his right shoulder into her hands. She attempted to move to his left side but he grabbed her hand before it reached his shoulder. Her skin was warm to his touch and so delicately soft, Gaara felt as though he could break her if he held her hand with too much strength. Finally her gaze met his and Ai smiled sweetly at the look of distrust he gave her.

"To stop someone who is trying to help you," she whispered and almost blew the words gently into his ear, "is simply bad manners, Kazekage." Gaara leant towards her.

"And to dance in front of intoxicated men," he paused for a moment, watching her grow intimidated by his closeness, "is shameful." He let her hand go violently and walked past her, shrugging off the rest of his cloak as he did so. Gaara placed it on a chair beside his bed and turned to her. She had not moved, with her back to him, Ai spoke softly.

"Were you not one of those men, Kazekage?" She turned to him, her diamond earrings and bangles tinkling as she shimmered in the moonlight before him. Her eyes narrowed on him and a smirk of triumph struck her face; the Kazekage had met his match.

Beneath his cloak he wore a long black, full sleeved shirt and dark trousers. He leant against his bedpost, folded his arms and watched the girl in white smirk in a way that made something in Gaara stir and wake. It was almost as though Shukaku could smell her, could want her, could see how fragile and delicate she was; could see how breakable she was. He tore his gaze from her in an attempt to calm this rising desire.

Gaara had to get away from her. Or she had to get away from him.

"Leave." The young Kazekage breathed the word as though suppressing anger. His tone frightened Ai and he heard her jewellery jingle as she took a step back in fear.

"'Til morning, Kazekage." Gaara heard her say and looked up in time to see her white veil steal out of the door in her wake.