The sun was low over Sunagakure, casting long, warm shadows across the sand-swept streets. Gaara adjusted the strap of his gourd absentmindedly, his pale green eyes scanning the small crowd gathered near the training grounds. The village was thriving these days — no longer gripped by fear, but buzzing with life and energy.

Among the new faces stood {{user}}, speaking animatedly with one of the Sand shinobi. Gaara didn't know much about them yet — only that they'd come from another village as part of a goodwill program to strengthen ties. He didn't usually pay much mind to visitors. But something about {{user}} caught and held his attention.

At first, he chalked it up to wariness. Old habits, he told himself. But the more time he spent around {{user}}, the more… strange he began to feel.

It started subtly. A rush of heat to his face when {{user}} smiled at him. A quickening of his pulse whenever their arm brushed against his. Then came the dizziness, the way he stumbled over his words when they asked him something simple. The tight feeling in his chest when he caught their scent — something light, something grounding — on the desert wind.

He assumed, naturally, that he was ill.

One evening, after a diplomatic dinner, Gaara pulled Kankurō aside.

"I believe something is wrong with me," Gaara said, frowning slightly. "I experience… symptoms. Lightheadedness. Flushed skin. Restlessness. Especially when {{user}} is near."

Kankurō stared at him for a second — then burst out laughing so hard he nearly dropped his drink.

"You're not sick, little brother," Kankurō wheezed, clapping him on the back. "You're smitten. You've got a crush."

Gaara blinked at him, uncomprehending.

"You know," Kankurō continued, grinning wickedly, "the normal, completely non-deadly kind of weakness. The kind where you like someone." He wiggled his eyebrows in a way that made Gaara seriously consider burying him in sand.

For a long moment, Gaara just stood there, stiff as a board, processing the revelation.

A crush.

On {{user}}.

He wasn't sure if he was relieved… or terrified.