Gaara looked out the window and put his hand to his chin as a sigh escaped his lips. He leaned on the ledge and felt the soft desert breeze. He blew out a little breath and smiled slightly.

The sand was a golden color and it shone brighter today. A voice nagged in the back of his mind; the sand wasn’t any different--he was. Maybe it was the peaceful morning. Maybe it was the smell of breakfast wafting up to his room on the breeze. Maybe it was just the lack of tension in the atmosphere around him. He ran his fingers through his hair and gave it a good shake.

He caught a glimmer in the corner of his left eye. He turned his head and beheld what was on the roof of the level below his. Sakura was on the roof. She was past the line of vision of everyone but Gaara. He stared at her. She had a cotton robe hanging next to a bathtub. The water was no doubt warmed by desert sun. She put up an umbrella so that half the tub would remain shaded, but he could see the whole tub either way.

It wasn’t so much the bath tub that caught his attention. She stood there naked and she stretched her body to the heavens with her arms above her head. He could see the supple curves of her. His face grew warm as he watched her. She put one hand on the rim of the tub and lifted her right leg and settled it into the tub. She then lowered the rest of herself into the tub and put her head beneath the water.

Her hair was free and wild beneath the water. It made her look as if she were caught in a playful desert wind. He thought back to the books he read as a small child. She looked more like a mermaid. She glided through the water and she shot out of it, sending water droplets out all around her. She reached over to a table Gaara hadn’t noticed and she picked up a sponge and then lay it back down.

She really was more like a siren. She was so beautiful in the sun with her naked pink breasts exposed and glistening in the sun. Her face was content and she was humming a sweet melody. Gaara, still watching her, listened to the melody as he noticed the delicate small indents on her back along her spine.

She stretched out her arms and reached for the sponge again. She took that into the water and soaked it and she squeezed the excess with her fingers. Her hand went back and picked up a pastel bar of soap. He noticed it was a lighter shade of pink than her hair. Gaara’s senses were overcome by the faint scent of cherry blossoms. “How appropriate,” he barely whispered.

She ran the sponge over her body and Gaara watched and listened as she hummed. He thought of how cheerful his home had become since she came to help out. Everyone smiled when she came into the room. She said ‘Hello’ to everyone and she knew almost everyone’s name. He felt calmer around her. He would feel the corner’s of his mouth turn up a little when she greeted him with her tender light-green eyes.

She helped out around the village. She helped the little children find toys and lost pets. She helped carry groceries and she helped out whenever she could. She would talk to him and he would listen to her regardless of what she said. Sakura was very intelligent, and much more diplomatic than he was. He respected her opinion.

She was washing her hair now. He could smell that as well. He heard her gentle hum and he felt the urge to join her. He stifled it for fear she’d notice him. He watched her. His face was burning now. He felt his ears warm.

He never thought he’d see her like this. Not once in the four years she had lived in Suna. She was completely exposed and so beautiful. He glanced from her face to her chest and he took a deep breath to calm down. He pulled at his hair to alert his body to settle down. He knew what he was doing wasn’t fair to Sakura, but he couldn’t help himself. He noticed a hot shiver shoot through him as he inspected the finer details of her breasts. He flexed his fingers as these too grew inflamed.

She arched backward as if to expose herself utterly to him. Her chest followed the pull of gravity and slid to her neck so quickly Gaara was unable to stifle the sigh that escaped his lips. She slid back into the tub once more and she stood. As she stepped out of the tub, Gaara watched her every move more carefully than he had of any other person at any other time. She stretched once more and he noticed the softness of her skin. Her scent was now intoxicating.

Sakura pulled the cotton over her body. Gaara could see two distinct bumps on her chest as she turned to dust off her shoulder. He decided he shouldn’t push his luck. He turned from the window and made his way down the familiar hall. His face now burned with longing and shame as the rest of him throbbed with hot longing. He imagined her back and he wanted to touch it. He craved it. No other thought than what her skin must feel like went through his mind.

His mind drifted to her breasts once again. More delicate than any flower’s petal, he thought. He thought back to the fleshy mauve points that reminded him of the center of the flowers he had once seen as a child. She was fair skinned, but her skin was completely milky-white with that soft undertone of life that danced in the sun but never seemed to rise to the top. She never reddened, he noticed, even under the desert sun.

Still, what he had done wasn’t fair to her in the least. He should have turned away like any proper gentleman would have. She had been nothing but sweet, helpful, and attentive to those around her. Yes, she had her moments were he felt he was dealing with a rosier Tsunade, but on the whole she was stern but kind. Her hair had grown longer since she had first come here. Maybe the desert agreed with her.

But it wasn’t fair. He had watched her at her most vulnerable and exposed moment, no pun intended. She was completely unguarded at that moment and he had taken advantage of it. He had become very fond of her. Just the other day he held her bare hand longer than he should have as he eyed the tender valley of her naked wrist…

He felt his face grow even hotter at the thought: not only her wrist, but her back, her legs, and her breasts. He felt like every bit of him was on fire. He wasn’t paying attention when he bumped into his brother, Kankuro, who was probably the last person he wanted to see him like this. He began to march faster until he bumped into Temari who immediately put her hand to his forehead. “You should go back to bed, that’s the worst fever I’ve ever seen, I’ll send Sakura to take a look at you.” With that she pushed him past Kankuro and back into his room.

She shut the door and threatened Kankuro to stay out, Gaara needed to rest. Gaara stuck out his tongue at Temari behind the safety of his door. He immediately noticed his window was still open, so he shut it and flopped onto his bed. He buried his face into his downy pillows and screamed.

He turned over and sat up. He took of his large coat and wiped the sweat from his neck. He silently cursed himself. He heard a knock on the door, and then a familiar and polite, “I’m coming in now.” The knob slowly turned and he saw a familiar leg. He looked up and saw Sakura was wearing a white cotton gown with slits than ran up the legs. Her shoulders wear bare for the most part.

He stared and felt his face grow warm as he grimaced at his own weakness around her. She smiled politely, “I’ll leave now if you want to be left alone.” She was inches away from him. He hadn’t noticed. Her perfume wafted around her. He felt lightheaded. She turned around to leave and he grabbed her wrist.

She jolted and he let ago immediately. He turned his face away and looked at his slippers on the floor to his right. He felt Sakura’s weight settle on the bed next to him. She sat there quietly, waiting for him to speak. He sat there quietly as well; he had to gather his wits before he even attempted to look at her.

He turned to face her with the friendliest face he could manage. She looked at him for a moment and turned away from him. He panicked. Maybe he still had the look of a homicidal maniac. He didn’t blame her for being scared-- he heard a giggle. He saw her shoulders shiver as she tried to suppress it. She looked up at him. Her face was coy and free at the same time.

Gaara laughed a little too. “I’m glad you weren’t upset,” he sighed with relief. “Why would I be upset,” she asked. He felt his face grow warm, “Because I thought I scared you when I smiled at you.” Sakura stretched out the same way she did before on the roof. “I’m sorry I laughed; you just looked so funny and forced and worried all at the same time.”

She smiled gently at him. She moved a stray hair from his face and smiled. “You seem okay, I recommend a cool bath and a nap,” she said with a little more sweetness than usual. “It might just be me, but it could be because you were such heavy clothes when it’s like one hundred and twenty degrees,” she teased. Gaara took off his long-sleeved shirt and then felt the cool air hit his body. He felt a little better.

She looked at him and turned away a bit. Gaara noticed this and he felt his heart skip a beat. “How is everything for you in the Sunagakure?”

She smiled and closed her eyes, “It’s been really nice here. I love this place a lot. Everyone is so friendly here. I really like it here too. I like Temari and Kankuro and-- you too. You’ve all made my time here wonderful. Sometimes, I don’t even think of the Konohagakure. But I miss the trees there a lot.”

Gaara felt his heart sink a little. “You miss the trees?” She nodded in reply. He thought about it. He was used to all the sand here and the sparse greenery. She had grown up enclosed in a lush forest. She probably played underneath the trees and fell asleep protected by their sturdy roots and foliage from the sun and heat. Here, there wasn’t that much of a chance for her to do that.

She needed trees. He stood up so quickly that she almost went backward. She stood to follow him but he put his hand up to stop her. She sat back down as he muttered, “I’ll be right back.” He pushed his way to his Kazekage office. He summoned his subordinates and tapped his foot until all of them were there. He was demanding, yes, but he was the one in charge.

“I want seeds for trees. They have to be green all the time-- with flowers and fruit and nuts. Well, some of them can be green part of  the time, but I want seeds. I want ninja who can make them grow-- fast. Use chakra if you have too, I don’t care, get it done. You have until tonight. Make sure some of the roots are big and above the ground so little kids can play hide-and-seek and that people can takes naps under them. Go.”

He put the fear of death into them with a single glance and then he remembered. “I want cherry trees in the courtyard, four of them, one in each corner. I also want orange trees and hazelnut trees. And apple trees. And maple trees to line the path in front. Get to it. I want all of this done by tonight.” The men and women that had occupied the room prior were gone more quickly than he had hoped. It was good to have a ‘strong’ reputation when it came to getting things done.

He left the room and he noticed he hadn’t put his shirt back on before leaving Sakura. He did things like that after he saw her when he had a plan to execute. But now his plan was in action, and he had to go back to Sakura.

She was still sitting there waiting for him. She was staring out the open window. She turned to him and smiled. “I wanted some fresh air,” she said, “I saw your window was open earlier.” Gaara felt a shiver run up his back. She was still smiling at him though. He relaxed. “Do you want to go-- did you eat breakfast?” She shook her head. He walked over to her and put his shirt back on. He decided he didn’t need his gourd; there was more than enough sand if anything happened. No one needs to carry around a two-hundred pound calabash gourd made of sand when there’s sand readily available.

He grabbed his wallet though. It was black leather with a cut-out of his gourd on it. He slipped this into his waistband and he extended his hand to Sakura. “Then I’ll take you to this place I know. They have the best egg-flower soup in the entire village.” She took his hand. “Can I get dressed first?”

He smiled a little sadistically, “No.” He looked at her. This white dress suited her better. He had given it to her as a gift on her last birthday. He could see her outline through the sun. She protested. “You look beautiful now,” he said. “Why change?”

He felt his face grow hot from his own candor. He heard Temari coming around the bend. He grabbed Sakura and picked her up as if she were nothing. He cradled her in his arms as he hopped onto the ledge of his window. He jumped down and a small yelp issued from her. Her dress billowed in the breeze until he stopped at the back of a building in an alley.

“Gaara, what are you doing?” she asked. Gaara sighed, “I’m taking you out to eat.” He felt his thick wallet in his waistband. “And then to bazaar, and then to dinner and then this one place I know.” He felt her gaze at him. “I wanted to thank you for everything you’ve done.” She tugged on his shirt, “You can put me down now.” He blushed and set her down gently.

She smiled at him, “Thank you, but this doesn’t seem like you, it’s a little too,” she paused to think, “too spur-of-the-moment for you.” He smiled at her and extended his elbow to her. She threaded her arm into the crook of his.

Gaara felt happy. He was enjoying every moment of this. He led her through the alley to a little restaurant. It was his secret refuge. He came here to think over hot tea and a good bowl of soup, sometimes a plate of orange chicken with stir-fry noodles or yakisoba. He sometimes enjoyed some yakitori and noodles too. He would take some home and snack on it as he went through so much paperwork he was on the brink of snapping at any moment. But the thing is, you can’t use Sand Coffin Jutsu on paper, he had tried with no success.

He let her go and he opened the door for her. Temari’s lectures on etiquette  were not lost on him. Maybe Kankuro, but his brother still played with dolls, and was pretty much useless when it came to the fairer sex. Kankuro was his brother, and they shared so much together now. But facts were facts: Kankuro was the worst person possible to ask for romantic advice.

Sakura walked past him with a smile. He noted the scent that still emanated from her. He was glad he had started to use cologne just the week before. He had remembered her from before. She was beautiful then, with her gentle eyes. She was as beautiful as she was dangerous. He had seen the ferocity that dwelled in her and that desperate strength. She was more polished now, but stronger too.

Her hair had grown longer. She had kept it short for more than three years, and then she just stopped cutting it. He was glad. It was such a shame what happened during the exams. But it made her want to become so much more and she did.

He hoped she would notice his cologne. He hoped she would notice how much taller and mature he was. How much calmer he was. He had taken on a stately air over time as Kazekage. He hoped she would notice he was better than Uchiha. She cried way too long over him. He didn’t care about her at all. He ran off and left her all alone with all her pain. She numbed his, even helped him stay away from being consumed by his curse. All he did was leave her.

He had often considered throwing his picture out her window. It used to sit there on her nightstand. He wandered around, unable to sleep, and saw her cry over it when she was all alone. That was a long time ago. His picture had been gone for so long now. He was glad. She perked up without that constant reminder.

He smiled at her and pulled her chair out for her. She thanked him with a smile and sat down. He pushed her in. “So, Sakura, how has everything been going for you?” She smiled wholeheartedly, “Really good, and you Gaara?”

Gaara smiled at her, “It gets better everyday.” He sat down himself and waved the cook their way. The cook smiled at Gaara and held up two menus and made her way to him. She was a sweet old woman with dark-iron hair and blue eyes. “Here are the menus, Sir; would you like the usual to start off with?” Gaara nodded, “And can you bring us your best tea for the pretty lady?”

He saw Sakura blush in the corner of his eye. The old woman nodded and winked at him clandestinely, “Of course, anything for the handsome Kazekage’s beautiful companion.” She said this knowingly. Gaara had been to this place so often that she knew enough about him to be his own grandmother. Gaara blushed a little himself.

The old woman walked to the kitchen humming to herself. Gaara looked at Sakura, “Well, you know how grandmothers can be.” Sakura nodded, “She’s a sweet old lady, and she’s taken quite the shine to you.” Gaara nodded. “I come here almost everyday-- I can’t stand being so cooped up with everyone breathing down my neck.”

Sakura smiled. She placed her hands on the white tablecloth and reached over the table slowly. Her slender hand pushed a stray hair from his face and then she pulled her hand back. Gaara reached out and held her hand then let go. He tucked his hands beneath the table as hers resumed their former position on the table. “I’m sorry, Ga- Kazekage, I shouldn’t have.”

Gaara chuckled, “Just call me Gaara, please, you don’t have to call me ‘Kazekage’ here, when you say that it sounds weird.” Gaara added, “So, is that why you don’t address me professionally unless you have to?” She nodded in reply, “It sounds so weird.”

He wanted to touch her face and trace his way down her neck to his collarbone. “You know,” he started, “it’s been so much nicer since you came here.” He stopped talking because the tea was there; he thanked the old woman and began to pour Sakura tea. He handed her a cup. “It’s been so cheery and friendly. I mean, since you’ve been here, everything just seems to fall into place-- no wait, what I mean is that I can’t ever remember being quite this happy before… Or something like that.”

“Yeah, I’m really glad our villages are getting along now. It really helped us become friends,” Sakura added. “Thank you for this Gaara, I’ve been feeling down lately, I guess I really miss the trees back there.” Gaara noted the moisture of her eyes, “Do you miss all you friends too?” She had been here for nearly four years. He realized she hardly ever went back to Konoha, he felt guilty. She nodded, “I miss Ino and Hinata and everybody else.” She smiled.

“But I write them  a lot of letters and you and me hang out together so I don’t miss them as bad as the trees.” Sakura took a cup of tea Gaara had poured and sipped at it. “There are some days I feel like I could be in the Sand Village for ever and always, but then there are some days I just want to run off to be in the Leaf Village just for the trees.” Gaara noticed longing in her eyes and then tentative joy too. He sipped his own tea.

“You can always go back whenever you want. So, why do you stay here all the time?” Gaara cringed at the impetuousness of his own question. He remembered her promise from the first night she had been in Suna. But so many things had changed since then, there was no real reason for her to stay all the time now. “Never mind,” he said quickly, “You don’t have to say.” She smiled. “It’s okay,” she answered, “I just really feel like there’s someone here worth sticking around with.”

Gaara felt jealousy rise up in him. But if Sakura was happy, that was okay. As long as she was happy; he could be happy. Be buried the urge to leave and smiled at her. “Well, do I know him? Does he live close to us?”

She blushed. “You could say that.” She turned away, “I met him at the Exams and well, he turned out to not be that scary after all, he’s like a big old panda bear.” Gaara smiled. It was either him or Kankuro. Down to two. He was sure of it; there were a lot of Sand ninja, but only three who competed, if he remembered correctly. Still, he couldn’t imagine Kankuro being scary, or panda bear-esque. Wait, panda?

“He’s more stable nowadays, which is great, but he still scares the living daylights out of people.” She smiled serenely as she said all this. “He’s really sweet and he has a wonderful smile and he looks so cute sometimes, I just want to give him a hug.”

Gaara nodded. “So, you really like him right?” She nodded. He felt a little him inside himself clench its fist in victory ‘Score!’ He set down his tea, “Well, there’s this girl I like. She’s intelligent, skilled, and she’s a people-person. She’s strong mentally and physically, but there’s this other guy. He treated her badly and I just feel like giving him a good, sorry to say this, ass kicking.”

Sakura nodded. She was happy Gaara had someone he liked, but was sad at the same time. “Have you told her how you feel about her?” Gaara shook his head. She looked at him firmly and helpfully. “You should do something nice for her, like take her out to eat. I mean, if this guy is that awful, she’d be happy to have a sweet guy like you around, because, trust me, the bad-boy thing gets old. Fast.”

Gaara felt the miniature him do cartwheels in his head. The mini-Gaara was screaming ‘GO FOR IT!’ He told the voice to quiet down so he could think. He was weighing his options and decided to reach over the table.
Gaara held Sakura’s hand for a moment and pulled back. He held her slender fingers to his lips, un-chapped thanks to Temari’s insistence on Chap Stick, and said, “Well, I did, and I hope she likes the tea.” He felt his face grow warm and he saw Sakura blush. He felt thankful to Uchiha for the first time. Who would’ve known Uchiha would have left behind everything he needed. He wondered how anyone could leave the whole world behind without a second thought.

Really, no one could come close to Sakura. He felt sorry for Uchiha for a second. He kissed the tips of her fingers. Over time she had become his best friend. She stayed with him into the long nights with paperwork and drafts. She often made him lunches and dinners and they ate together whenever they could. She understood how busy he was. She always smiled at him and she stood up with him.

“One night, a while ago, I fell asleep at my desk. I had nightmare. I woke up and I saw you sitting next to me, you were stroking my hair and humming to me like before. I pretended to be asleep, but I just wanted to be next to you like that. I did fall asleep later, though. I dreamt of you. Then I woke up and you were still there. I put my coat over you and put you on the futon.” He smiled, “You looked so beautiful. Even with bags under your eyes. I was so thankful and I didn’t know what to do.”

“I love it when you talk, I just want to hear you go on and on, even when you rant, you’re so… cute.” Gaara held her hand to his cheek and smiled, “So, I guess all-in-all, I’ve fallen in love with you; I’m not sure when though.” He stared at Sakura’s blank face and closed his eyes. ‘That was stupid’, he said to the mini-Gaara. The mini-Gaara said, ‘Open your eyes.” He did.

Sakura’s face was merely inches from his. She came in closer and then he bent his head and pressed his lips to hers. He let go of her hand and leaned over the able and put his hands on her shoulder and the back of her waist. They pulled back. She looked at him, “You really do look like a silly red panda right now.” He teased back playfully, “You look pinker.”

They both laughed. The old woman came to the table, “It’s the usual for you, Sweetie,” she said, “but for the young lady?” Sakura blanked out, “I’ll take the same thing as him.” The old woman smiled knowingly and left them.

Sakura didn’t know quite how to take that and turned her attention back to Gaara. Gaara was blushing and he looked a bit distressed. She decided it was because he had bared so much of himself to her. All she had done was kiss him. That wasn’t like Gaara to just accept that as an answer. He looked like he needed more, or he would explode. He was adorable and frantic.

“Well, after Sasuke, I didn’t know what to do. I waited around for about forever. He left behind so much debris. Then he showed up out of nowhere like I’d just forgive him and go running back to him. Then well, I just sort felt cold after that. I was happy to see him, but I couldn’t trust him or really love him after all he ever put me through.” She sighed heavily.

“Then you came along. I was a little scared at first, but you really had changed and I noticed how sweet you really were. You were quiet, but you had a dry sense of humor and a lot of kindness. I felt bad for you. Don’t get me wrong, to have a demon like that in you, anyone would have acted the way you did. Especially with the horrible life you had to live. Naruto had it bad, but it was so much worse for you. It still makes me want to cry.”

“But I just started to notice how sweet you were. You were so cute too. You were reserved, but deep down you were so gentle and loving. I guess, when I saw you smile, that’s when I started to care about you. Besides, you did apologize for everything before that, and you helped me out and you went out of your way for me. After everything, I just wanted to be around you, and I just wanted to… be next to you.”

Sakura sipped her tea, “I just woke up one day and realized, ‘I love Gaara.’ It wasn’t like Sasuke at all. I was happy with you. I felt like giving it my all. I wanted to do everything in my power to help you be your best. I wanted to be there for you, because it made me happy to see you so happy.”

Gaara was happy. He felt the mini-Gaara cry inside. The mini-Gaara held up a big heart with band-aids on it. He told mini-Gaara it would all be okay. Sakura smiled at him, “Besides, you’re just too sweet and you make cute noises when you sleep.” Gaara turned his head. The old woman came with tray that held a large bowl of soup, two smaller bowls, and two soup spoons shaped like little ladles.

“This is so much food, do you bring it home?” Gaara shook his head, “I eat it here. She only brought one soup…” Sakura felt her insides drop. “Where do you put it all?”

Gaara served her then himself, “Well, this only the first course actually.” She ate the soup warily. Man, this guy could eat. Her lunches were like snacks in comparison to just the soup. Still, he was taller today than he was a month ago. So, maybe it was normal. She opened her eyes in amazement, “This… this is great!”

Gaara nodded in agreement. “The rest will be even better,” he winked at Sakura, “I told you, this place is the best ever.” She nodded. She looked at the soup bowl between them. More than half of it was gone. As she stared, Gaara poured himself another bowl. “Would you like some more?” he grinned. She nodded.

He poured another bowl for her. He noticed her shock. He was a growing young man; he needed food. He had gotten to be more than a head taller than her so far, and she was still growing, but not at his exponential rate. He had always been short, so this was welcomed news. She took her bowl and ate it slowly as he munched on the water chestnut in his mouth. He loved this soup. It had everything. Even Chinese celery. It was his favorite.

Sakura seemed to like it too. She chewed on one particularly large one and then scooped up a nice bit of seaweed. Gaara smiled. Well, the feelings were mutual, now it was time to go with the flow. Next up, a nice long walk, then to the bazaar. He wanted to get her a nice pretty dress, in red or white.

The old woman cleared the table and brought out two plates that had yakisoba piled onto it. She also brought of a large plate of yakitori and another plate of orange chicken. She turned to Sakura, “If you can’t finish it, just tell me, but he probably will,” she whispered. Sakura nodded a ‘thank you’. Gaara took three of the kebabs and put it on his plate of yakisoba. Sakura took one because it was just huge.

“So,” Gaara said after the first kebab, “let’s go to the bazaar.” Sakura nodded. “That was a great idea,” she added in, “it’s really helped the village prosper.” Gaara nodded, “Of course it was a good idea, and it was yours.” He picked up another kebab, “We’re at a prime trading spot, my father never thought of it, and it might have eluded me if it hadn’t been for you. Now Suna is climbing back up and my family has regained its prestige back. Kankuro, the hustler he is, has made our family on of the richest and most powerful in all the lands.”

Sakura nodded. “So what is he going to do with it?” Gaara laughed, “He’s probably going to make himself a girlfriend.” Sakura giggled, “He really could have just about any girl, and he’s better-looking without all that makeup of his.” Gaara agreed and picked up yet another kebab as he set down a plain stick. Sakura helped herself to some yakisoba.

They ate in relative quiet. Gaara wasn’t the kind to eat and talk at the same time often. He wasn’t astute at performing such a feat. He ate and Sakura drank her tea. She was full. Gaara was like a bottomless pit. He had finished his yakisoba and the yakitori, large as they were, as he made his way to the orange chicken. “Gaara, I’ve just noticed you keep getting taller,” she remarked.

He nodded, “That’s probably why I’ve been eating so much lately; you’re taller too, but it looks like I’ll have a foot on you anytime now.” Gaara pointed at her leftover yakisoba and she handed it over, “So, what shall we do for dinner?” He looked at her, she was lovely, but she was no where near properly dresses for what he had in mind, “I will take you to see the little village you’ve helped make an oasis in the desert.”

“We’ve found an underground river, so, I’ve decided to make Suna a more hospitable place to attract tourists.” She nodded for more elaboration.

“It’s a surprise, Sakura,” he teased. “Screw paper work for today,” was all he said after that. He polished off the remainder of what was on the table, much to Sakura’s surprise. The old woman refilled their tea and left them to talk. Neither of them could bring up the previous part of their conversation so they discussed the weather, Kankuro’s realistic new dolls, and a trip to visit Konoha and to see how everyone was doing, especially Naruto.

Naruto was training and completing higher and higher ranked missions. He had surpassed most of the ninja in Konoha at this point, even Kakashi. Now he was Lady Tsunade’s most trusted ninja for the most part. The entire village was even more grateful than they had been after Naruto stopped the invasion during the Chunin Exams. So now he was invited by the Hyuugas as well as the other dominant families in Konoha. Naruto was finally loved and respected by his village after years of hatred.

Gaara said he was glad Naruto had just about everything he could want. Rumor was that Naruto had been seeing Hinata for the past months. Gaara poured more tea for himself and Sakura. “Would you like some dessert?” He asked. She shook her head. The old woman came to take the last of their plates. She asked if there was anything else they wanted. Gaara said no and asked for the check. The old woman left and returned promptly.

Gaara opened the tab and pulled out his wallet. He counted out the amount and placed a generous tip into the small folder. He stood up and pushed his chair in and walked up behind Sakura and pulled her chair out. She smiled and walked to the door.

Sakura extended her hand to him and he took it. He waved to the old woman and left with Sakura. He walked through the streets and noticed and acknowledged the passer-bys. He saw one of his subordinates running around in a confused frenzy. Gaara grimaced at the man and pointed to his wrist to pantomime a watch. Then Gaara ran his thumb along his throat at the man. The man blanched and ran off. Sakura hadn’t noticed his display.

They turned a corner and stood at the entrance of the bazaar. It really was an odd place. There were plenty off street performers swallowing knives and spitting fire. There were also snake charmers. Gaara smiled at Sakura’s reactions of oohs and ahs. She pointed to two people who manipulated water around them into spheres and shapes around them. The delighted crowd added their own tribute to a bowl in front of the performers.

Gaara held her hand as they made their way to a small boutique that was a favorite of Temari’s. Gaara saw a red dress in the window and a simple black suit in the window. He took note of that and told Sakura he would be right back. He judged the size of the suit. He tried it on quickly. It was a perfect fit. He told the clerk to hold onto it for him. He took a second look at the dress and it looked about right for Sakura. It had a halter top and was long with slits that ran up the sides. He told the clerk to also hold onto that. He would be back. The clerk nodded and said, “It was a pleasure Kazekage.”

Gaara found Sakura next to the fountain. She was watching a snake charmer make a snake curl up into a question mark. She clapped and he smiled to himself. He felt a pull on his shirt. A little boy looked up to him. The girl next to the boy had a nervous smile on her face. “You’re the Kazekage right, sir,” the little boy asked. Gaara nodded, “And what do you need?” The little girl tugged on the boy’s pants, “Hi, Mr. Kazekage, Sir.” The little girl ran off and the boy followed her shouting for her to stop. Gaara scratched his head and continued on his way to Sakura.

She turned her head around. He waved nervously as she motioned for him to go to her. Gaara tilted his head a bit and shrugged. He sat down next to her and put his hand on hers and he watched to snake charmer with her for nearly an hour. He wasn’t bored, that snake knew plenty of tricks, especially for a reptile.

The charmer preformed one last feat with his scaly companion and the two of them gave one last round of applause. The two of them stood up and Gaara led the way to the boutique. The clerk snapped to attention. He brought the dress out to Gaara and Sakura. “Gaara, I don’t really need this,” she said. It was beautiful though. Gaara smiled and told her to trust his as he led her to the dressing room. He waited outside the room for her with the clerk. She steeped out. She was radiant.

Gaara held his breath. She was beautiful. She gave a twirl and he grabbed her. He held her hand and took her by the waist. He danced with her for a bit and whispered in her ear, “You didn’t have anything like this and I thought it was a shame.” She blushed, “You really don’t have to do this.” He kissed her cheek, “I wanted to.”

He dipped her and then he pulled her back up. She rested her head on his shoulder. She gave a sigh and he held her close. The clerk looked on at the couple. It was a sweet sight but what made it odd was the two individuals themselves. One had been the terror of the village and the other was probably the village’s golden girl. But the both of them looked so happy, and it was a rarity to see the Kazekage smile and act so openly.

The clerk nodded in approval. Gaara let Sakura go. She changed back as he paid the clerk for both outfits. He took the dress from Sakura and put it into the bag. He and Sakura walked through the bazaar and window-shopped. They looked t all the baubles and trinkets. They both laughed when they saw a pin shaped like a fish cake. Gaara bought it and they decided it would be perfect for Naruto.

Gaara and Sakura made their way back to the Kazekage’s mansion. He noticed that little work had been accomplished since their departure. He scowled at every subordinate as they made their way to Sakura’s room. He laid her dress on her bed and told her to get some rest; it was a big night ahead of them. Sakura yawned a bit and closed her door after kissing him on the cheek one more time.

Gaara looked at the door for a bit with his hand on his cheek. Kankuro was standing behind him. Gaara whipped around and began a furiously fast walk to his room with Kankuro at his heels. Kankuro snickered and Gaara shut the door behind me. He turned to his bed and saw Kankuro there with a smirk on his face.

“So, I see you’ve finally asked Sakura to be your girlfriend.” Gaara felt his skin crawl. “Well, not exactly bit brother,” he admitted. “I only said I loved her and then she kissed me over the table and then she said she loved me too. This is the third kiss, I guess.”

Kankuro nodded sagely, “Well, it’s about time, you two took forever to get there. I also need to tell you; those tree seeds have been found. Now those poor bastards are looking for ninja who can manipulate water.” Gaara nodded in approval, “Tell them to look in the bazaar.”

Kankuro spotted the bag in his brother’s hand, “So, what’s that Gaara?” Gaara took it out, “I didn’t have a suit, and I’m taking her somewhere real nice tonight, through the window of course. This reminds me, I need a bath.” Kankuro cleared his throat, “How’s adjusting, Gaara?”

Gaara sighed heavily. “I remember it. No one wanted to be around me. Everyone treated me like a monster. Dad kept trying to have me killed. I remember that it was the sand at first, not me. The sand attacked people, and no one would believe me or accept that I was sorry. I remember; I took a boy some ointment after I hurt him, it was an accident Kankuro, then he told me to go home and he called me a monster.” Kankuro held his brother close to him, “It’s alright Gaara, I know, it’s going to be okay.”

Gaara leaned into his brother, “It hurt so badly.” Gaara felt the tears well up, “I tried so hard, I really did.” He bit his lip, “Kankuro, I didn’t mean to become that way, I never wanted that, I just wanted ‘love’. I just wanted to belong. I wasn’t a monster, I became a monster. I’m so sorry Kankuro, I’m sorry for everything.” Gaara looked up at his brother, “I’m still too afraid to sleep most of the time.”

Kankuro held Gaara and squeezed his little brother affectionately, “I know it’s not your fault, Dad was an asshole, everyone knows it.” Gaara sniffled, “I’m sorry.” Kankuro looked his brother in the eye, “You’re moving on, you’re growing up. You’ve become the way you always were, you’re a good person and you got better, and that’s all that mattered, anyone in your position would have turned out that way, it’s not your fault.”

“Sakura makes you happy.” Kankuro added, “You need someone as tough as she is, and she needs a strong guy like you to be there for her.” Kankuro smiled, “Face it, you two were meant for each other.” Gaara looked at his big brother, “You’re the best, Kankuro, and can I have a cookie?”

Kankuro sighed, “You eat like a horse man, where do you put it all, jeez.” Kankuro reached into his pocket, “Don’t tell Temari.” Gaara took the cookie. He ate it, “I’m going to be taller than you real soon.” Kankuro sneered, “Sure, little brother.” Gaara took out his suit to show Kankuro. Kankuro gave a wolf whistle and asked Gaara to try it on.

Gaara showed his big brother how he looked and Kankuro clapped. “Not even Sakura can resist your charms in that piece.” Gaara smiled at his big brother. Kankuro smiled back. He had almost gotten used to it now. Gaara smiled a lot more often now. But Kankuro felt slightly replaced by Sakura since Gaara began to share more and more of his dreams with her. Still, Kankuro was happy. His brother had found someone he could share his life with.

The two brothers had become closer than most could ever hope to be. Gaara modeled his suit to Kankuro. He looked happy, and that made Kankuro happy. Kankuro had stopped wearing his war paint. He looked a lot like Temari. He took off his hood and motioned for his brother to sit with him. Gaara sat down on the bed.

The two brothers laid like that for a while. Gaara fell asleep and Kankuro massaged his brother’s temples so he would have good dreams instead of nightmares. It was odd. Their family was so close now. Before there was always fear when Gaara was involved. Temari loved Gaara so much, but she acted like his mom a lot of the time now. She was the oldest and a girl, so it could be expected.

Gaara was getting taller though. He’d probably end up a lot taller than their father was at this rate. Gaara took after their mother in the way he was built and since Gaara had matured, in his face. Gaara had their mother’s delicate features for the most part. Even his hair was more like their mother’s now that it was longer. Kankuro smiled.

Gaara never had eyebrows, and no one knew why. If it was Shukaku, they should have grown back in by then, right? Well, there are some mysteries better left unsolved and merely speculated about.

Kankuro sat up and walked across his brother’s room. It had two windows. Gaara could watch the sunrise and the sunset. Even Gaara’s office face the sunset. Kankuro sighed. He walked out the door, “I’ll wake you up at four to get ready.” With that, Kankuro left.

Temari had just checked up on Sakura and saw she was asleep. Kankuro met up with her, “Operation: Matchmaker has succeeded.” Temari smiled, “About time, it seems the relationship will be consummated tonight, I heard her say ‘Gaara’ in her sleep.”

Kankuro said, “You shouldn’t have told her she could bathe on the roof, Gaara could have seen her.” Temari grinned, “That was the evil master plan all along my little brother. That way Gaara would be confronted with his feelings for her, I bet he watched just because he couldn’t look away, now he’s probably beating himself up over it.” She giggled.

“That’s horrible Temari,” he chastised. Temari struck a pose, “Well, it did the job right, did you see how red and ashamed he looked this morning?” Kankuro nodded, “You’re evil Temari.”

She smiled. “Operation: Matchmaker succeeded, right?” The two older siblings high-fived. They walked off to eat lunch. Temari laughed, “Gaara is so adorable when he’s freaking out and all red.”