Acceptance

The buzz from the villagers was enough to make Rin's hair stand on end.

Between the burning in her cheeks and the feel of their eyes on her, it took everything she had not to run from their whispers.

However, Gaara's hand on the small of her back, was the main reason she stayed planted to her spot.

His embrace hadn't lifted, as he escorted her away from the fuming lotion peddler, who was actively shutting up her booth, mumbling profanities to herself.

The Kazekage maintained his gentile smile, though it looked alarming out of place.

It occurred to Rin how many expressions she'd seen on Gaara's face and yet, the impassive look that reminded her of stone, was the one she favored the most.

An image of his face at the hot spring came to her mind.

Well... the second one she favored.

Gaara led her away from the bustling crowd and dipped into a side alley, where they could speak without the entire village listening.

Only then, did he drop his hand and turn to address her. "So..."

Rin's eyes slammed shut, her face twisting into a wince. "Yes?"

"How is your day going?"

She let out a groan and brought her hands up to shield her face from his sight. "I tried!"

"I'm sure."

"I did! I really did!"

He turned his attention back to the crowd of people, who were actively trying to get a peek at the outrageous products that caused the upset of the day.

It wasn't often the Kazekage spoke to any of the merchants, so to have him take such keen notice of one booth in particular, was cause for investigation.

"May I ask, what was it you were trying to accomplish today? Other than upsetting the entire marketplace?"

Rin's voice was muffled behind her hands. "I wha trhn to fffnd a dob."

"Pardon?"

She groaned. "Dob."

"I'm still not hearing you."

Her fingers split, so that her voice rang clear. "I was trying to find a job!"

"Oh... oh I see."

Rin's cheeks flushed with a shame that radiated down to her toes.

Suddenly, it felt impossible to maintain eye contact with him and she fixed her gaze to the dirt alley. "I said this morning, that I wanted to be useful to you and the Sand, but now, I feel like I've only made things worse. Whenever the villagers look at me, all they see is a strange girl from the Sound. Even if I were on my best behavior, I doubt anyone is going to want to give me the time of day."

"Probably not."

She grimaced. "You don't have to agree so readily."

Gaara's brow furled. "I don't understand. Why is this so important to you? You're more than welcome to continue your services with me. That's work you know you can do and excel at. Why go through the trouble of trying to find a place outside?"

"Because they are never going to accept me as your partner if I don't prove that I can be one of them!"

His eyes widened slightly. "That's what this is about?"

Rin pulled her hands up, rubbing her arms against the rising anxiety that always threatened to talk her at the worst times.

What she said was true. She didn't want to admit to herself how different she was, but there was no avoiding it. Even if she weren't from the Sound, the only work Rin ever knew was in her own craft, that was designed in a lab.

She had no idea how to do anything else. Especially not the jobs required in a land as harsh as the Sand.

Gaara's arms came around her, his hand resting on the back of her head, shielding her from the world. "Rin."

She started to pull away from him. "You shouldn't do this out here. People will see."

"Let them."

"I'm not ready for that yet."

He thought about it for a moment and closed his eyes, summoning up his sand and creating a barrier around them.

"Better?"

Rin peeked out at the walls that completely hid them. "Yes."

She pressed her head to his chest, letting out a sigh. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For shaming you today."

Gaara's arms were tight around her. "You've never shamed me, Rin. In fact, seeing that display today, made me realize something."

"What?"

He smiled, kissing the top of her head. "How proud I am of you."

"Why? My temper got the better of me and I embarrassed myself in front of everyone." She squeaked.

He held her closer. "I was taking my usual afternoon walk through the village and heard the commotion. When I parted the villagers, I found a woman with her hands on her hips, her jaw set, eyes of pure fire, as she defended her position against injustice. I stood there, watching her cause a ruckus and listened to the shocked whispers of her behavior, when a thought came to mind, that was much louder than the noise surrounding me."

She braced herself, picturing the scene he was describing.

He smiled. "That woman is mine, fiery temper included."

Gaara's hand came up to her chin, tilting it so she was looking at him. "And I could never feel shamed by her."

The soft touch of fingers and warmth of his words made Rin swoon. "Thank you."

She rose up on her toes, showing her gratitude in a gentle kiss.

Gaara felt a spark in his brain whenever her lips met his and he inhaled her jasmine scent, made even stronger with the afternoon heat.

Rin pulled back, brushing a hand over her eyes. "I'll try again tomorrow. I think I've done all the damage I can today."

He smiled. "Let's not tempt fate, shall we?"

"I suppose not."

Gaara let the sand drop around them and Rin made her way out of the alley, trying to ignore the eyes that followed her movements.

Her voice rang in her mind. "It's fine. They'll just take some time to get used to you. Don't stare back. Keep your eyes forward. That's it."

Suddenly, Gaara was beside her and placed a hand to stop her in her tracks.

"Gaara?"

He looked up at the sky, where the sun was beginning its descent behind the mountain range.

"It's not safe to walk these streets at night."

"What?"

His arm raised slightly. "Would you mind if I escorted you home?"

Rin looked around at the villagers, all of whom were staring. She noticed two younger women in particular, who seemed upset at the attention their Kazekage was giving a stranger.

She swallowed the lump in her throat, before sliding her arm through his, pulling her body closer. "Yes, please."

He smiled and continued on, ignoring the appalled gasps that followed.

Rin couldn't help but look around them, noticing every sneer, every whispered conversation and felt her stomach twist. "They're staring, Gaara."

"Let them."

"Shouldn't you be concerned with what they think of you? You are the Kazekage, after all."

He smirked. "I used to house a terrifying demon that ran rampages on their homes if I fell asleep for more than five minutes. I think they can handle me escorting a beautiful woman."

Despite herself, Rin smiled. "I guess so."

They walked at a leisurely pace, neither wanting to return to the mansion quite yet.

If Rin closed her eyes, it almost felt like she was on a date and not the center of speculation from an entire village.

With Gaara beside her, she felt like she could really belong here.

It would just take time and patience...if only she could say she were a patient woman.

Her eyes turned up to the gentile smile he'd adopted and she chuckled. "Is that the face you were advised to wear in the village?"

"Is it that obvious?"

She drew closer to him. "Only to me. I know what your real smile looks like."

"Yes, I suppose you would."

"I think it's nice that you take walks through the village. Does anyone approach you?"

Gaara shrugged. "Well, actually, we're almost to..."

"Lord Fifth!"

Rin stopped at a young voice and watched as Gaara's smile went from controlled to authentic.

"Right on time."

He turned around, still holding his lady's arm and addressed the small girl. "Good evening, Hana. How are you?"

Hana's broken smile made Rin want to squeeze the life out of her. "I'm good! Who is this?"

"This is Miss Rin Ito. Ms. Ito, this is Hana. My usual companion on these daily walks."

"A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Hana."

The young girl scanned Rin up and down, questions clear in her eyes. "You're not from around here, are you?"

"No, not originally."

Her face curved into an inquisitive stare. "Are you the lady everyone is talking about?"

Rin held back her groan. "Probably. I seem to be drawing a lot of attention lately."

Hana waved a hand for her to come closer.

Gaara opened his mouth to say something, but Rin shook her head at him and lowered herself to the girl's level. "Yes?"

The setting sun made the child's brown eyes glow, the curiosity in them fixing Rin where she was.

Hana was going to be a beauty when she grew up and by the sure look on her face, a force not to be trifled with.

"Do you like, Lord Fifth?"

The question was so direct, it caught her off guard and Rin gave a breathy. "I do."

Hana's gaze hardened. "Are you nice to him?"

Rin looked up at the face of the man she loved and back to the girl. "Yes. I certainly try to be."

Tiny hands came up to her face, holding her steady. "Do you love him?"

That was it, she was going to steal this child. Didn't matter if she had a family or a life, Rin was going to adopt her and feed her chocolates every day.

"Yes, very much so."

Hana smiled. "Good. If Lord Gaara likes you, then I like you too. Just don't be mean to him, okay?"

Rin nodded; her face gravely serious. "Yes, ma'am."

The small girl hugged Gaara's leg and skipped off, eager to tell her parents about the woman she met and the information she'd learned.

He held out a hand to let Rin up and squeezed her in his grasp. "There now. The day wasn't a total loss after all, was it?"

From deep within, a smile came to her face, as she watched the girl skip to her home. "No, I suppose it wasn't."

That was how it needed to go for them.

If one person, even someone as young as Hana, could approve of her, maybe the rest of the village would learn as well?

She just needed to keep trying.

As they climbed the stairs to the mansion, the warm sun dipping out of view, Rin held onto that hope, almost as tightly as the arm of the man beside her.