A Love Lost

There was resistance, but of course there would be. Nothing in the Sand was easy, not the people or their stubborn minds.

In her experience, children were the easiest to cross over. They trusted her soft voice and gentle ways, there was no reason to hide from her.

Adults were always the hardest and women, the most challenging minds of all.

They didn't naturally trust her the way their children or male counterparts did. She was a stranger and every woman had secrets she kept locked from the world.

It was safer that way.

Rin pressed through the layer that separated her consciousness from Kaba's and found it falling away quicker than she anticipated.

She practically fell through the divide and stumbled on the mental plane that was always unique.

"Well, that was unexpected." She said to herself and her voice echoed against the walls of the councilwoman's subconscious.

"Now, where is the guide? I have to do this quickly." Rin mused, jogging where she would usually stroll, taking in her surroundings at her leisure.

The walls transformed from dark to light blue, taking form of an alleyway she recognized from her many walks through the Sand. This was near the outskirts of the village.

"Okay, we're getting somewhere. What are you showing me, Kaba?"

Rin turned the corner and nearly tripped over her own feet when she spotted a young pair of lovers, hidden away in the back corner of the alley, their voices a hushed whisper.

"Oh… oh my." Rin dipped down, though she knew they wouldn't notice her presence. It just felt rude to openly stare the way she was.

The man was handsome, his deep, dark eyes reminding her of the midnight sky. He was firm of built, the kind of man who wasn't a stranger to manual labor.

"Hold me." The woman cooed and he hesitated.

"I don't know if I should."

"Why not?"

He raised his hand for her to examine, its big, heavy palm cracked with callouses. "I don't want to hurt your pretty skin. You should be touched by silks, not my rough hands."

The young woman laughed, the sound the tinkling of bells against the quiet of the alley. She took hold of his hand and kissed the inside of it. "Silly man, no silk or feather could make me feel the way you do."

His smile was melted butter on fresh baked bread. Sweet, warm happiness that drifted on the breeze even where she was sitting.

Rin wrapped her arms around herself, sighing at the scene. This was that pure love people wrote about but was rarely seen.

"Who are you?"

The voice made her jump out of her skin and she whipped around to a face she didn't recognize, but eyes she would know anywhere. They held her late at night, they pierced her core, found the best in her and they now belonged to a young woman.

"Who…who are you?"

She scanned her up and down, hands on her hips. "I asked you first."

"I'm Rin Ito of the Sound. Are you…related to Gaara, by any chance?"

The woman let out a laugh that shook the walls of the mind around them, sending a wave of light through Rin. "Well I should say so! Gaara is my son."

Her jaw dropped.

The woman standing before her had a kind face, the expression warm, but mischievous. Rin could see all three the Sand siblings in her; Temari's blonde hair, the same dimple on the right whenever Kankuro found something particularly funny and the eyes that held her world in his wake.

Rin straightened up, suddenly feeling underwhelming in comparison. This wasn't what she expected. Why would Kaba choose Gaara's mother as her guide?

"What are you doing here, Rin?" She asked.

"Just to see what Kaba has to show me. What's your name?"

She held out a hand and shook Rin's. "Karura. I'm the bride of the Kazekage."

The words lingered in the air, drifting away with Rin's thoughts. Did Kaba summon up Karura because she was comparing the two? What was she to the Councilwoman? Someone she respected or more?

"Pleasure. So, who are these two?"

Karura's green eyes looked behind Rin and she gave a soft, sad smile. "Auntie Kaba and her true love."

Rin twisted around to study them. "Auntie?"

"Yes. By marriage, though it was uncouth to discuss in public."

"I see. So, that was Kaba in her youth?"

"Mm hm."

"And the man? He doesn't look like a nobleman."

"He's not. He worked in construction."

Her attention turned to her guide. "But, Kaba is a noblewoman. How in the world did she manage this relationship?"

Karura looked at her and the expression let Rin know how silly her question was. "Do you honestly think her family would have approved of Kafu? A man who worked under the heat of the sun and left school in the third grade? Uneducated, poor, no clan name, no prospects and…"

"So wonderful."

The voice surprised Rin but didn't faze Karura, who stared at the scene sadly.

Young Kaba, nuzzled herself under Kafu's chin, her words drifting in a happy daze. "You're so wonderful to me."

"I want to take you from this place, Kaba. We'll run away together. Just you and me."

"I can't."

"You can. There must be a way. I will find a way."

"There isn't, Kafu. Every step I take is watched. The rumors have already reached my parents. I am to be married tonight and then we can never see each other again."

"I'll take you from here. You deserve your freedom."

"My father will kill you."

He held her tighter. "It will be worth it."

"Don't say such ridiculous things."

"Who cares about my life?"

"I do." Her happy voice melted into tears, as she held him close, burying her face in his chest.

Kafu wrapped her in his strong arms, his face pained. Rin knew that pain, it was the kind that gripped a soul in its claws; a monster that dressed itself in sunlight and rose petals.

Karura sighed, rested her head on the walls of the alley. "She comes back to this memory a lot."

"What happened to him?"

The guide shrugged. "What always happens to fools in love. They act foolish."

"Kaba, I have something for you." Kafu said, tilting her chin up.

"You do?"

He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a pink and white flower. "My gift. I always think of you whenever I see these blossoms. No matter how harsh the climate, they always bloom bright. Every year, they show the best of themselves. Flowers that bloom in adversity. Just like you."

Kaba sobbed as he fixed it in her hair. "Kafu…"

"I will never stop fighting for you."

"You must."

"I won't. I love you too much. I'll fight for that love. Just wait for me, Kaba. Don't lose yourself in their cold cruelty. Stay as beautiful and as kind as you are now."

The memory faded into a darkness that surrounded both Rin and her guide, but the sounds of a young woman's tears continued to echo, their pain sharp and real.

Rin looked down. "I see. This is why she's been against me from the beginning. I don't remind her of herself. I remind her of Kafu."

Karura reached forward and cupped Rin's face, the maternal touch unmistakable. "And you remind her of me too."

"I do?"

Her smile was wicked in the low light. "Of course. My aunt knows fire when she sees it."

Rin matched her smirk. "That's one of the nicer ways to describe me. Mostly it's foul-tempered and impertinent."

Karura laughed. "I was called the same things! We're so alike, it's frightening. Kaba isn't foolish. She knows that you will fight for your love no matter the obstacle, but she also knows the pain of it failing. If Gaara mourns for you, the way she mourned for Kafu, she would never forgive herself. She's worked so hard to protect him."

Rin looked down. "It seems like I've heard that before. Gaara pulls out that desire in people."

"My son isn't weak. He's much stronger than anyone around him, but his heart is new and fragile. Kaba is worried about the image and power you'll have. But she wants to trust you and a small part of her is actually begging to love you."

The words touched Rin. She would have never guessed the old bat had that in her, but she shouldn't be surprised. People were rarely as shallow as they appeared.

Her time was running out. This wasn't a relaxation casting and she would be expected to present a secret knowledge to the crowd. What could she say?

Karura smiled as she started to fade away. "You know I'm not actually his mother. I'm just an image in Kaba's mind."

"Yes. I know."

"But… still…. take care of my babies. All of them."

Rin gripped her hand. "I will."

"Then it's time to go."

The world came shooting back in a flash of color and sensation. Gone were the quiet, dark walls of Kaba's mind and returned were the hungry, curious eyes and held breaths awaiting her demonstration.

The older woman stayed resting against her shoulder, but Rin didn't miss the tears that wetted the fabric of her kimono.

Without realizing it, a wave of love and empathy rushed through the young girl and she held the councilwoman closer. "I'm sorry you went through that, Kaba. It wasn't fair to you. You should have been allowed to love who you wanted."

She whimpered softly but didn't reply.

Rin's heart hurt. "Fully awake now, in 3…2…1."

There was a slight start, but Kaba didn't leave her shoulder. Something in the woman had snapped. The desire for the closeness she never received in life, real and anguished.

Rin wasn't cruel, she respected this woman's pride and wouldn't tarnish it.

Instead, she rubbed a hand down her back, whispering. "Hey, remember where you are. People are staring."

Kaba pulled back, wiping her eyes in the process. She stared at Rin and the image of that young lover shined through her faded gaze.

Rin gave her a small smile and undid the ribbon holding them. "Don't worry. I've got this."

She turned to the crowd, clearing her throat so that her voice was heard by all. "My jutsu is complete! I present to you knowledge I wouldn't know before. A secret never whispered to another soul."

Kaba looked panicked, the memory she'd shown would ruin her. She would deny it. Deny everything. End the Cleansing now. Ruin Rin's chances before she had a chance to destroy her.

"Councilwoman Kaba is afraid of spiders and has a fondness for imported cheese from the Village hidden in the Leaf."

There were murmurs of confusion spreading through both clans:

"What kind of useless secret is that?"

"How can that talent benefit the Kazekage?"

"I wonder what kind of cheese…?"

Rin turned to look at Kaba, who hadn't pried her eyes from the girl. They shared a secret now, two in fact, the secret of devastated young love and an admiration neither would admit.

Her eyes said everything they needed, as she bowed before her. "Thank you for your participation, Councilwoman. You are a credit to your village," her voice softened, "and your nephew as well."

Kaba looked pale, but she returned the bow and hurried back to her seat.

When she found it, she went over what just happened in her mind over and over again. What had that Sound girl done to her? Why did she show her THAT memory? And why was she so certain she wouldn't use this newfound knowledge against her?

Kaba raised the hand that had been secured in the ribbon to her eye level, opening and closing it a few times.

Why did she crave the warmth of Rin's hand again?

Her eyes drifted from her hand, up to the Kazekage, who was staring at her from his seat.

When their gaze met, she felt the air leave her lungs at the expression on his face. He knew exactly how she was feeling in that moment.

She'd spent his entire life tutoring and shaping his political career, forming him into a leader, but she'd never had a tender moment with the boy she'd practically raised.

Now, they did.

He gave her a slight nod and turned his attention to his desert rose, who bowed before the murmuring crowd and returned to the back of the grand hall, since she had no clan to sit with.

They both knew Rin saw more than her lie, but Gaara also knew, that whatever it was, Rin wouldn't share it with the world.

She may not have wowed the crowd like the other two contenders, but she did something far more impressive to him, she stirred his heart with her kindness and that meant more than anything.