Gin sometimes hated how the weather of Sunagakure would never reflect her mood. It was always bright, cheerful and sunny, and thought the Kazekage often felt that way, this wasn't the case. She felt... strage. There were countless things running through her mind - the coming Chuunin exams, the paperwork due, the Mizukage's death - and one of them in particular that she wanted to deal with least. And that one thing had a name: Sake Uisuki. He had arrived in the village a few days ago, but that still wasn't enough time for her to sort out her feelings towards the matter. They were a mixture of joy, sadness, fear, anger, shock and disbelief all at once. The funny thing was that she didn't know whether those feelings were directed towards herself or towards him. She shook her head lightly. It was noon and the Kazekage had found herself wandering into the cemetery. She supposed it wasn't that bad to spend some time there. But of course, she had a purpose. She had called Sake there herself to apologize for her behavior a few days ago. Despite the fact that her reactions weren't unprecedented, she knew she had acted rashly. All he had done was be happy in her presence, offer his protection and declare his love for her. Which brought her to another matter. Had that been serious? The mere thought of it made Gin blush, which was strange. Men usually drooled over her and she had no trouble dealing with them. Maybe it was because they were friends. In any case, she chose not to believe it was true, lest matters become even more complicated.

She sighed and shook her head. As she walked through the many rows of tombs in the graveyard, she looked for one in particular. She had visited it so many times and for so many years that she knew the way to it by heart despite the fact that it had been well over a year since she'd been there. In only a couple of minutes, she was there. There was nothing really flattering about the tombstone. It was just a regular slab of concrete with a name printed on it. There wasn't even an epitaph, those who broke the law didn't even deserve that. She crouched in front of it and caressed her thumb over the name. Sake Uisuki. As she read it, a melancholic smile appeared on her face.

Ouch. That was pretty much the first thing that went through Sake's mind when he woke up. It turns out that sleeping on a rock hard bench for a week in a row can really mess up your back. Sake still didnt have a place to stay, and he wanted to distance himself from Gin. As much as he truly loved her, as much as a joy it was just to simply be around her; she wanted space. Sake's feeling for Gin were all irrelevant to him, all that mattered was her happiness, and if she wanted space, she got it. Sake had begun to take his daily stroll through the village, getting angry looks from old villagers who still believed him a criminal. However the younger members of the village considered him a hero, the one who survived for years alone in the desert, with nothing but a puppet to guide him. Nobody really knew how Sake found his way back, but Sake had a hunch that it was destiny; he had to protect Gin and destiny knew it.

Sake had just about reached the market when the smell of the food that wss being cooked in the morning hit him, he suddenly realized how hungry he was, he hadnt eaten in almost 3 days! Sake went to one of the food stall and filled his plate to its maximum, giving the service lady a toothy grin and a hearty thank you to go along with it. How good the food felt going down his throat, some of the best food he had eaten in years. Then again, he had survived off of cactus water and any animals he could find for almost 5 years. Sake took his time devouring the food, savoring every bite, bit by bit. He had just finished the last bite when he recieved a tap on the shoulder. He looked behind to see an angry looking man. "Kazekage-Sama wishes to see you, now go, she doesnt like to wait"

The graveyard, of all the places to meet, it had to be the graveyard. Sake hated graveyards mostly, majorly due to the fact that he had a tombstone there. It was creepy, he knew that there was no way they could have his body there; but for so long people believed that he was dead. Sake crept through the graveyard with amazing carefulness. He was careful to not stand anywhere near anybody's grave; purely out of respect. He eyed the entire area carefully to try and find Gin. He wondered what Gin wanted him for, probably to tell him to leave her alone or something. To be honest, Sake didnt really care what Gin thought of him, he was still going to protect her. Sake's love for Gin was deep and true. It's not about getting into some cheap relationship with Gin, it's about her being happy. Just as his thoughts began to carry him away he saw her, crouching by a tombstone. He walked over and looked at Gin in the eyes with deep sincerity. He already knew what the tomstone read.

Sake Uisuki

Gin heard Sake's footsteps as he came up towards her. Still, she didn't remove her eyes from the grave in front of her. Her melancholic smile was still present on her face. she sighed, not really knowing what to say or how to begin. After a few seconds of tension, she thought she might as well say what came to mind first. "I bet you're wondering why I called you here," She began. Once again, the young Kazekage paused. "I visited this grave every day for two years. And every single day I'd talk to myself here and pretend you could hear me. I'd ask you to forgive me and I'd blame myself for everything. But then I started getting angry at you for taking the blame. I shifted the blame to you instead. So I stopped coming. It hurt too much." She stood up and her expression turned sour, self-deprecating. "And it turns out you were alive all this time." Gin scoffed, her voice turned hard and slightly angry. "I'm a fool," She said between gritted teeth.

Gin felt her breath caught in her throat. Her eyes stung slightly. She knew she was about to cry, but she held back. She wouldn't be reduced to tears, not now. Her pride didn't let her. Crying was for the weak. "And you..." She struggled to keep her voice straight. "You just come here, expecting everything to be alright!" She clenched her fists and bit her lips, forcing back a sob. She wouldn't break down. She wouldn't.

Sake's expression remained the same while Gin spoke to him. He could feel tears welling up, but he wouldnt let them flow. Gin still seemed to be blaming Sake for something, but for what? Coming back? Sake looked at Gin, this time not smiling, but a look of sincerity nonetheless.
"It wasnt exactly easy for me either. The whole time I was in that desert, lost and starving, I was still in love with you. I didnt have anything to remind me of you, no grave to visit to mourn. Just the sand. But If you want me to go again I will, my entire life is dedicated to doing what's best for you. If I need to go, so be it."

Sake turned around and began to walk away again, this time in the direction of the village gates...

Gin shook her head fervently. "You still don't get it!" She yelled at him, turning around to stare at his back as he started to walk away. "You say you want what's best for me, but you don't even know what that is! You think I want to keep you away from me? Well you're wrong!" She wasn't holding back, at least not with her anger. Her tears were still kept hidden, though not very well. Her eyes had started watering, much to her dismay. "I'm trying to tell you that I've missed you and that I'm sorry and all you get from that is that I want you to leave?!" She kept her fists clenched and her eyes fixed on his back. He should have known and understood how Gin would react. He should have remembered that she was prideful, that it wasn't as easy for her as it was for him to express feelings or even to figure out exactly what she was feeling. "You should understand... You should know that I'm confused, that I don't know what to do!"

Sake stopped for a second, he briefly considered leaving the village for good, to let things go back to normal for everyone. No, that would fuck thing up worse. He knew what he wanted to do, but there were only too possible outcomes. Gin would calm down for a bit, or she would beat the snot out of Sake. Either way, he was going to do it. He turned and walked over to Gin, wrapping his arms around her in a passionate embrace. Not the kind from a mother and son, not the kind from a friend to a friend. It was a hug from someone truly in love, he didnt need to say anything, his emotins would emulate from the hug, then Gin might finnaly understand.
Sake didnt say anything, he just rested his head on Gins shoulder and cuddled her....

Gin was taken aback. She didn't know how to react. Her initial response was pure shock. Her eyes went wide as Sake's arms went around her waist. Her Her arms hung limp, by her side as he leaned his head against her shoulder. Gin hesitated. Should she hug him back or should she push him off? She was the Kazekage, after all and Sake was now her subordinate. But before that, he had been her best friend and that was more important to her. Slowly and hesitantly, Gin's arms wrapped around Sake's back. As she gained more confidence, she dug her head in his shoulder and clung to him tightly. "You don't know how much I've missed you," She said, her voice only a little above a whisper.

Sake was suprised, he half expected Gin to throw him off and punch him in the gut; but she didnt, she hugged him back. And her words, it was such a change from the mostly hostile reception he had recieved from Gin before. His hug had proven to Gin that things would be ok; destiny would take its course and everything would turn out alright. He turned and whispered into Gin's ear.
"Im sorry for just messing things up like that, declaring my love and all. I will hold it down with the love if you want, I can be just friends no matter how strong my love; anything for you."

Gin lifted her face from Sake's shoulder momentarily to speak to him. She hesitated for a moment, looking him directly in the eye before lowering her gaze an instant later. "I.." She began. "Lets... lets just not complicate things," She stated. Before he took her words the wrong way, she would clarify what she meant. After all, she didn't want Sake to interpret things as if she wanted him to leave. That wasn't the point, nor was it her intention. "What I mean to say is, lets just let things happen at their own pace. I don't really see why we should give it a name, be it friends or something else. I just... I just want to see how things go naturally," She stated. She bit her lower lip lightly for a moment, but mentally chastised herself for doing so. Why was she acting like a nervous schoolgirl? It didn't fit her, not at all.

Sake didnt even bother lifting his head off of Gins shoulder, that moment, right there and then was just so perfect for Sake. Gin didnt want to give their relationship a name or title yet, and that was cool with Sake. As far as he was concerned, everything was beginning to go back to the way it was, the good way. He wasnt sure that Gin felt he same way to him as he felt to her, but it didnt matter. Sake could finnaly be at rest, and probably Gin too. They were both just pleased to be in each others presence, and that was alright. Sake didnt want to let go of Gin, he would wait until she had had enough.

Gin slowly lowered her hands, letting go of Sake's embrace. Before taking a step back, she pressed her lips against his cheek briefly and smiled at him. She was glad that both of them were more or less on the same page. "You have a lot to tell me about," She started. "Like what you did to survive in the desert for so long," She said as she shook her head lightly. The mere concept of it was ludicrous to Gin. She knew she could probably survive for an extended period of time in the desert, but then again she was the Kazekage. But after a while, she knew she wouldn't have been able to bear the loneliness of it all. "By the way," She began once again. "This has been bothering me all week, where have you been staying?"

Sake laughed at Gin's questions. Alot of people considered him a hero for surviving the desert for so long, but his strategy was simple. He drank all of the cactus water he could find, and due to his love for plants, he knew which flowers were edible. He told Gin exactly that.
"Oh, and I found a bench to sleep on,yeah, it was really comfy!" Sake resisted the urge to kiss Gin. He wanted to, but he couldnt, no he couldnt risk ruining what they had right now. Sake just bit his lip and smiled at Gin

Gin listened to Sake's story and sighed. "Figures," She said. "You've always been a nerd in everything that concerns plants. Honestly, I don't know how you can even use them in a fight. Swords are so much more efficient. You should have picked one up back in the Academy, maybe then you could have stood a chance against me back then," She said. Her tone was light and teasing, she didn't mean to insult or offend him in any way. She couldn't believe she was just standing there with him, reminiscing about the past. It was surreal, to say the least. But at the mention of him sleeping on a bench Gin's eyes went wide. "A bench?" She repeated. "Now, I know you've been living in the desert, but that doesn't mean a bench of all things can count as a bed. Honestly, Uisuki! What's wrong with you?" She asked. Her tone was chastising, but it also expressed concern for her... whatever they were. She noticed him biting his lip, but he didn't think much of it. "And stop doing that, your lips look chapped enough as it is."

Sake laughed, Gin never really saw why Sake loved plants so much, but his love for plants had saved his life. Gin however was more of a sword person, which was cool too. The stuff that Gin said to him just made his love for her stronge, whether it be mean or nice, and right now the urge to kiss Gin was really starting to rise, he wanted to; but what if it ruined everything? Same seriously was contemplating kissing her or not, was it worth a try? After the hug things had calmed down a little, but he just felt like he needed to kiss her. He couldnt resist the urge anymore, he leant in and went for the kiss on Gin, he would either mess things up with them, or take things to a whole new level, either way; he needed to get it off his chest.

Just as Sake leaned in to kiss her, Gin heard the sound of a rustling bush nearby. She couldn't help but turn towards the source of the noise, which turned out to be a small animal. Nevertheless, that was hardly important. Just as she did so, she felt Sake's lips connect with her cheek. There was a brief moment of confusion in which Gin's train of thought bounced from one thing to another. "Did you just...?" She began, his lips still connected to her cheek. "Did you just try to kiss me?" She asked. There was something...strange about the way she spoke. There was a small hint of disbelief and shock that amounted to one single thing: awkwardness.

Sake felt no awkwardness, he never felt embarassed in front of Gin, just happy. He felt kind of stupid for missing her though, that couldnt be helped. She turned and asked him if he tried to kiss her, and his reply was simple.
"Yes Gin, I tried to kiss you, I'm sorry but I am struggling to hold in my love for you; I had to do that."
Sake looked Gin in the eyes, still not feeling awkward at all, just a bit pissed at whatever made that noise. He kept eye contact with Gin and then smiled.
"If you want me to go now, I will...."

Gin's face turned a very distinct shade of crimson. She pursed her lips together for a moment. Her gaze was fixed on the ground. And if it were even possible, her face turned an even brighter shade of red as Sake spoke. And there he was again, offering to leave. Did he still not understand? Gin took a deep breath. If she was ever going to do this, it would have to be now. She looked at Sake straight in the eye and took a step closer to him. She wrapped her arms lightly around his neck and pressed her lips lightly to his. If anything would make him understand that she wanted him around her, it would be just this.

The kiss was amazing to Sake. After years of dreaming about it, it finnaly happened; and she had done it. It felt half hearted, like she really didnt want to do it; but it didnt matter, Sake's lips were against hers. He waited until she pulled away and smiled. One of his deep sincere smiles; those were his specialty.
"You probably didnt enjoy that as much as me, and Im sorry if I kind of forced it on you." He couldnt help but think that Gin didnt want to kiss him, she just did it to shut him up. He wasnt sure what to think right now.

[OOC: I meant go home xD, Not away from the village!]

The kiss was short, but sweet all the same. As Gin pulled away, she kept her arms around Sake for a moment. If he hugged her back, she would tighten the loose embrace. If not, she would slowly pull away from him. As he spoke, Gin shook her head slightly. "You're too quick to assume things, you know that?" She asked. Her tone had a very slight hint of annoyance, though it was mostly teasing. "You think I don't really want you here, do you? You think I want to send you back to that bench you call "home". Again, it surprises me that you can even sleep on that thing for a night, much less a week." She said. All the while, Gin couldn't help but stop smiling.

Sake hugged Gin back, resting his head on her shoulders again. She spoke to him, and yet again seemed to be telling him off slightly. He wasnt sure what to think right now. Did they share the same feelings? Or was she just trying to shut him up. Sake didnt know.
"Where else am I suppossed to sleep? I have no home. And look, if all of this is to shut me up, just let me know; I can handle it. I really dont know what to think right nowm I'm not sure if we share the same feelings. I just need to know if we have something...."

Gin let Sake rest his head against her shoulder. She ran her hands through his long hair absentmindedly as he spoke. Once again, she couldn't help but shake her head at what he was saying. "You're an idiot, Uisuki," She said, though she said it fondly. "I just kissed you, I'm smiling my ass off and you still think I'm doing this to keep you quiet. Give me some credit, will you?" She chuckled and hugged Sake tightly to herself, to emphasize that she wasn't just doing this for him, but for herself as well.

It was settled then, they had something. Gin and Sake had something, Sake felt amazing after years alone he had a compainion. He felt Gin run her hands through his hair, and he then knew that it was no longer a one way love. After so much time where he had been holding his love inside, a relationship had developed. Sake lifted his head off of Gins shoulder and kissed her, this one more long and passionate; because he was sure she would kiss him back, and that they both felt the same way....

Gin lifted her face slightly so that her lips would meet Sake's. He was warm and soothing. She pressed her lips passionately against his. She wasn't hesitating anymore. The young Kazekage was past that point. She ran her hands up and down Sake's back tenderly, making the kiss deeper. Apparently, they were in a relationship now, though Gin had trouble saying that out loud. In fact, she had trouble seeing herself as "taken". She had never been the type that would just settle down. There was too much that she wanted to do, too much that she wanted to see. And not only that, but she could never truly be committed to a single person. She had an entire village to serve; her life wasn't her own anymore. Nevertheless, she couldn't help but feel that this moment was right. She couldn't help but feel that she deserved this small moment of happiness.

Their lips wer locked for almost a minute, a long and passionate kiss it was. Sake felt like he could die there and then, and everything would be ok. After Sake slowly pulled away he rested his head on Gins shouler, yet again hugging her for the 3rd time that night. If he was ever more in love with Gin then he was now, then he could fly to the moon on his hands. He put his mouth near Gin's ears and whispered.
"Hey, I have something for you!"
He slowly walked away from Gin, but his thumb and made some hand signals while drawing a rose in blood and his palm. He thrust his hand to the ground and shouted "Flower Art! Rose Summon!"
With that a 20ft rose grew out of the ground, less than a meter from Gin, with Sake on top, he reached out one of the Vines, pulling Gin onto the Rose with him and put her next to him, wrapping his arm around her.
"Do you like it, I made it for you?"

Gin smiled as they both ended the kiss. The young kunoichi felt a tingling sensation in her stomach when Sake whispered in her ear. So he had something for her, did he? Gin lifted her gaze as Sake stepped back and performed a couple of handseals after drawing blood from his thumb. The Kazekage had always been interested in summoning. She wanted to see what Sake had up his sleeve. Knowing him, it would probably be his way of giving her flowers, which she really wouldn't mind that much as long as he kept it small and simple. But no. He had to summon a 20ft rose. She stared at the thing blankly. She wouldn't actually comment on it until she was sitting next to him on top of the thing. Her eye twitched slightly, as did her smile. "... You just summoned a 20ft rose..." She started by pointing out the obvious. "... You are more of a girl than I am, I hope you know that. Do you actually use this thing to fight?" She asked.