Resolution

How could he tell her anything when she held onto him and spoke so sweetly? It was all Gaara could do to not settle her down on the bed and shower her with kisses, let alone discuss something upsetting.

He'd never get anything done at this rate, not when Rin called to him so.

"Tell me what's hurting you, love." She said again, nuzzling his shoulder.

Gaara sighed. "Life isn't being fair."

"When is it ever?"

He gave a small chuckle. "It does seem to have a knack for targeting us."

Rin released one hand from his arm and started rubbing it up and down his back. "Tell me why life is being unfair and I'll see if I can sort it out. Two heads are better than one."

Her touch filled him with comfort, but not enough to dull the ache in his heart. "I spoke with Temari today."

"Uh oh."

Gaara smirked. "What do you mean by that?"

Rin made a face at him. "Anytime you say you spoke to Temari and make that face; it means something's wrong and it's usually about me. What did I do this time? Spit in her wind?"

"Haha, no nothing like that."

His hands clasped themselves, tensing and relaxing in time with his racing heart.

Temari's words circulated through his mind and his declaration of war against whomever wanted to part them, seemed like the statement of a different kind of man.

Gaara changed when he entered this bedroom, Rin's softness calling to his insecurities. "It's no secret that we've been the subject of gossip among the villagers."

Rin's hadn't stopped rubbing Gaara's back, but her other hand went to his fidgeting grasp, quieting it. "That was to be expected though. You said it would be."

"Have you heard what they're saying?"

"No. I don't listen to them."

His gaze slid over her face and she rolled her eyes. "Alright, maybe I listen a little bit, but I don't hold it in, if that's what you're worried about?"

"What are they saying?"

Rin sighed. "What you'd expect. They don't trust me. I'm not one of them. They don't understand why you've taken a liking to me. Things like that."

"I'm sorry. That must be painful to hear all the time."

She shrugged. "There are worse things than petty gossip and it's not all bad. There's a few people who've started to reach out."

"Oh?"

Rin smiled and scooted back on the bed, pulling Gaara down so that he was resting his head on her lap. "Mm hm, I think a certain little flower girl is to be commended for that. The children seem to want to know me more than their parents. I've acquired a little fan club lately."

He closed his eyes, picturing the children surrounding Rin. "That makes me glad to hear. My hope is the next generation will be more tolerant than their relatives. I'd like to open the gates to friendship with the other villages."

"Well, you're certainly setting a fine example. The Kazekage of the Sand falling in love with a nobody from the Sound. My, my, what a scandal." She said with a laugh and a dramatic flick of her wrist.

Gaara didn't laugh at all. He grabbed Rin's hand and held it firmly. "Don't say that!"

She stopped mid-laugh and focused on the strong grip holding her. "Gaara?"

"Don't say you're a nobody again. Never say that."

The sand was circulating around their grasp in a light trail, but between its emergence and the intensity in her lover's voice, Rin knew she'd crossed a barrier, even if she wasn't sure why. Her voice softened, one hand coming to rest on his forehead, brushing his hair back. "Alright. I won't say it again."

"Good."

"But, why is this so important to you? I was being mostly sarcastic."

His jaw tightened. "Because it doesn't matter to me where you came from or what your past is. It doesn't matter that you don't have political standing, you'll never be a nobody to me. You're so much more important than a title."

Rin smiled, but remained confused. "I'm glad to hear that. Gaara, what's this all about? Just talk to me and call off your sand. I'm getting unnecessary exfoliation."

He focused on the trail of red skin his upset summoned. "Oh, I'm sorry. Here."

With no effort at all, he retracted the sand and raised her hand to his lips, soothing the agitation from it.

She scratched her nails along his scalp. "It's fine. Just one of the many interesting things about being in love with the Kazekage."

Gaara groaned holding his hand over his eyes. "That's just the problem. I'm the Kazekage."

"Uh huh."

"I wish..."

"What?"

"I... I wish..."

"Gaara. Just spit it out."

His words came out rapid fire, an outpouring of the frustration that had been building since this morning. "I wish I wasn't! If I wasn't the Kazekage, I wouldn't have to play by the stupid rules that come with it! I could go anywhere I wanted. Be anything I wanted."

"You can do that now."

"I can't! I may have the power to rule my village and the responsibility of their livelihoods, but I don't have freedom. I never have. I can't do the things I really want. I hate it. I hate it so much."

Rin shook her head. "That's not true."

"What?"

Her scratching fingers rested on the top of his head; her other hand resting above his heart. "You don't hate being the Kazekage. I've seen you, Gaara. I notice everything about you. When you're walking through the marketplace, when you're protecting your people, even when you're doing paperwork at your desk, there's a peace to your expression. A pride in your stance. You weren't just born into this life; you chose it and it means something to you."

He closed his eyes. "Yes but..."

"You were given so much sadness, my love. Anyone else would have crumbled beneath it, but you didn't. You chose to take hold of your life. You became the leader of the very people who scorned you and it's a responsibility you value above everything else. You don't just enjoy being the Kazekage, you love it, more than you've loved anything else in life."

Gaara took hold of the hand on top of his head and brought it down to his lips. "There's one thing I love more than being Kazekage."

Rin smiled. "So, why the sudden identity crisis?"

He kissed her elegant fingers. "Temari brought up a fact this morning, that I've been pretending to ignore for weeks. I've been so happy with how things are going, that I pushed it to the back of my mind. However, it's becoming clear that I can't maintain that ignorance anymore."

"What is it?"

"A foolish, ridiculous notion I can't escape."

"Sounds serious."

Gaara sighed. "She made it clear that our relationship has gone public and because of that, the villagers and members of my council are rebelling against us. Even though you've been working so hard to become a part of my people, the fact that you hold no political standing or nobility ensures that I can't ask you for your hand in marriage."

Rin's jaw dropped slightly, her hand sliding away from his grasp.

Gaara continued his venting, mouth curving into a snarl. "Of all the ridiculous, outdated notions the Sand clings to, this is by far the worst! This xenophobic mentality needs to come to an end. They don't get to decide whom I love or marry or anything else."

"Gaara..." Her voice was broken.

He sat up, studying Rin's expression and the tears that came to her eyes, unleashed a panic in his chest.

His hands came to cradle her face. "Oh... oh no. Rin, don't cry! Please don't cry. Don't worry, I'm not going to listen to them. I'll give up my seat as Kage if that's what it means to be with you. I value you so much more than any stupid law or proclamation. So, please, don't cry because of what the villagers say. They'll come to love you the way I love you, you'll see and I'll talk with the council."

"That's not why I'm crying."

His thumbs brushed away the tears that flowed freely now. "What is it then? Are you worried about me? Don't be. It's alright. I'll find a way. Or... is it because.... you're disappointed in me?"

"What?"

His eyes turned down, the continual voice of doubt that told him he wasn't good enough, taking his voice and darkening it. "If you stay with me, it's very likely we can't have a child together. Our child would never be recognized by the village. Both you and it would be scorned. I'd understand if you don't want that life. If you want to go back to the Sound and fall in love with someone else. Really, it's okay. I'll be sad, but I'd understand. I won't stand in the way of your happiness."

"That's not it either, dummy!"

"Then what is it?! Tell me why you're crying!"

Rin leaned forward and gave him a small, loving kiss, which froze him mid-upset.

"You want to marry me."

Gaara's eyes opened. "What?"

Her hand came to her heart, the smile tearful, but real. "You said you wanted to marry me."

"I do."

"I was hoping you would."

All at once, the walls he'd built up in frustration and chaos crumbled away. Gaara took Rin in his arms and held her tight, kissing along her face. "I want to marry you, Rin. I want you to stay by my side."

"I want that too. I never thought anyone would marry me."

"Me either."

They laughed at their shared trauma, the only thing they could really do anymore. Gaara rested his head against Rin's. "We're a mess, Rin."

"Yes. I'd say that's true, but we're a mess together, aren't we?"

"Indeed."

She took hold of his arm and pulled him down to lay beside her, snuggling close to him. "So, that stuffy old council doesn't want me to be on their team? I can't imagine why."

Gaara laughed. "You can't? Not even a little?"

Rin smiled a mischievous, Cheshire grin. "Nope. I'm an angel. You said so yourself."

His fingers played with the edges of her hair, twirling a strand around. "To me, yes. To the council, you're a demon straight from Hell."

"That's just rude."

"Says the woman, who hasn't had a single interaction with them, that hasn't ended in a snarky comment and a dramatic exit."

"Well..."

"Who has made it her personal mission to call them out whenever they say something she doesn't agree with."

"Um..."

"And, has also seen fit to not only disagree, but blatantly insult them and their competency to their faces."

Rin stared Gaara down, her lips coming to a pout. "I'm not apologizing."

He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. "I wouldn't expect you to. However, if I'm going to approach the idea of changing a rule that's been around for generations, giving up the need to provoke them, may just work in our benefit."

"Maybe."

Rin's hands curled around his shoulder blades, pressing her body against his.

Gaara inhaled the sweet scent of jasmine in her hair. "I'll find a way to make this work, my angel. Don't worry. Someday, I will stand proudly before the village and I'll introduce you not as Rin of the Sound, but as the Lady Kazekage; my wife."