Sakura groaned and turned over. Upon feeling a soft, cool pillow, she sat up quickly. She was in an off-white room, in a large bed. Swinging her long legs over the edge, she realized that somebody had dressed her in a loose robe, decorated beautifully with embroidered green fans. Against the white of the cloth, they stood out and matched her eyes beautifully. She only hoped that the somebody who had dressed her was female.
Standing, Sakura straightened the robe and looked around the room. Her bags, which she'd dropped near her desk at the office, sat in a corner near the door. She dug through them and gave her hair a quick brush; the now fully-awake kunoichi padded out of the room after reading the note on top of her bag:
Sakura!
Nice to know you're awake – well, you are if you're reading and fully
comprehending this. Come down to the living room when you're ready.
In case you were wondering, yes, I was the one who dressed you up.
Temari
Down the stairs at the end of the hallway there was a room with a couch and two armchairs. This, Sakura assumed, was the living room. The mistress of the house lay asleep on the red couch. As Sakura walked past, she noticed a note on the blond woman's stomach. Picking it up, she read it:
Sakura!
If I'm asleep by the time that you find this (and I probably will), look
around the kitchen for something to eat. Help yourself to anything you
like. Oh, yeah. Feel free to take out extra. I'll probably be hungry when
I wake up. Gaara, too, when he comes back.
Temari
Grinning, the emerald-eyed kunoichi set the paper down on the table and slipped into the kitchen. Surveying the contents of the refrigerator and the various-sized but equally almost-empty cabinets, she decided with satisfaction that there was enough to make curry. Checking the meat to make sure it was fresh, she pulled out the ingredients and set to work, trying to finish before Temari awoke. The older woman had tried to cook for them and their friends once – they had all passed out from the pungent odor coming from the blackened lumps. It was, they'd reflected later on, a bit like chemistry.
The instant Gaara stepped through the door to their house, an unexpected smell reached his nose. At first he thought (with panic, and Sabaku no Gaara never panics) that Temari had tried to cook again; but as he drew closer to the kitchen, he noticed that it was a good smell.
"Huh…" Sakura's voice rang out from the brightly lit room. "It beats me how you can manage to burn water for the rice in two minutes, Temari-chan! Now, for everybody's sake, and for the sake of the food, I'm banning you from the stove for right now. The curry's almost ready, so could you get the bowls? You can dish out the rice, but – DO TRY TO GET SOME IN THE BOWL, TEMARI-CHAN! Why don't you just set the table, then… Yes, there's no way you can hurt the food like that."
Temari had finished setting the table before she looked up and noticed Gaara. But when she did, everybody in the house knew it. Her vaguely depressed face lit up instantly.
"Otouto-kun! Oi, Sakura! Gaara's back!" Sakura plugged her fingers in her ears, knowing what her friend was going to do. Temari's next words shook the house. "KANKURO GET YOUR LAZY BUTT DOWN HERE BEFORE I COME UP THERE AND DO IT FOR YOU!" she screamed and the top of her lungs.
Gaara's other sibling laughed loudly. "No, thanks!" he called down cheerfully. "Come up and get me, then!"
Temari looked pleadingly at Sakura, who sighed and spoke evenly. Though she was speaking no louder than usual, her voice passed through the whole house. "Kankuro-san, come downstairs, please. The curry is getting cold."
There was a thundering down the stairs, and the last sand sibling stood before them, his puppet on his back. "Hai! Sakura-sama!" He saluted, army-style. Temari whacked him upside the head. When he glared reproachfully at her, she pointed at Sakura.
"Arigato, Temari-chan. As I was saying, the food is ready, so help yourselves," Sakura told them. After they had all claimed their portions of curry and rice, they sat around the wooden table; Temari and Sakura shared the couch and Gaara and Kankuro sat in the armchairs. The two older sand siblings complimented the food, and Sakura nodded her thanks. Temari looked expectantly at Gaara, who kept his eyes on his plate. To get his attention, the spiky-pigtailed woman whapped him on the head with her giant fan, which had been sitting conveniently at her side. When he glared at her, she glanced pointedly from him to Sakura, who was eating quietly. His scowl dropped and his gaze softened.
The young Kazekage mumbled a "The food's good," and the pink-haired kunoichi beamed at him.
"Arigato, Kazekage-sama!" Turning to Temari, she cocked her head in puzzlement. "Hey, Temari-chan, why did you bring my bags? I could've gone back to get them." Temari stretched lazily, got up, produced a worn letter from a cabinet nearby, and threw it to her emerald-eyed friend, who deftly caught it and opened it. Her quick eyes scanned the contents and she wrinkled her nose in joy. "this is great Temari – Chan! Where do I stay?"
"You can have the room that your stuff's in," Temari told her. Sakura gathered all of the dishes and took them in to wash, sighing happily.
"Thanks, Temari-chan!" Once the plates were soaking in the warm, soapy water, she rinsed her hands and bounced off, calling over her shoulder, "I'll go unpack, then!"
Gaara stared after her, confused. "Unpack…?" Temari laughed.
"Tsunade-sama gave her a two week vacation after she found out what happed to Sakura – Chan," she explained. Gaara nodded – they had discovered the kunoichi lying half dead in the sand afteran encounter with the akatsuki. Walking over to the sink, she reached into the water and finished washing the dishes. She threw a towel to Gaara and handed him a dripping plate. He began drying. In no time (with is sand helping, of course), the dishes were done. Kankuro had gone up to his room before he could be forced to help.
It was only when Sakura came back down again that Gaara noticed what she was wearing. He had seen Temari wearing it once or twice, but it brought out Sakura's eyes in a way it had never done for his sister. She had tied a red bow around her waist to keep the robe closed, and it only added more color to the pretty image she created. (A/N: He really is OOC now!)
"Oh, yeah, Sakura!" Temari exclaimed. "I had a few other outfits I thought you might like! C'mon, let's go try one on you!"
Sakura had lived around Yamanaka Ino long enough to know that it was useless to try and refuse such an order. She followed meekly into Temari's room. Besides, she did like dressing up occasionally. When Temari pulled out the first outfit with a flourish, she gasped and clapped in delight.
Gaara unbuckled his gourd and laid it down carefully next to his chair, leaning back. He wondered what his sister would try to put on Sakura. The things she wore would not look good at all on the more delicate-looking medic-nin. When Sakura was dragged out for him to see, though, all of his doubts in his sister's choice of clothing dissolved.
An elegant red kimono enfolded her, neatly yet modestly showing off the gently curved shape of her body, and gold thread became embroidered butterflies. Her hair had been arranged into a bun at the back of her head, the ends spiking out to frame it. Temari saw him staring and grinned, winking.
"Like what you see, little brother?" she inquired so that only he could hear. He glared at her, but she didn't relent. "Maybe I should be a fashion designer! Come, Sakura! Let's go try on one more!"
Sakura sighed and let herself be led back into the room, but secretly (and she was sure Temari knew this) she was enjoying being dressed up. The outfits Ino chose for her were outrageous – at least Temari knew when to draw the line. And the fan-wielding kunoichi tended to drift towards the more traditional – more formal and more modest – clothing for her.
The next outfit Temari picked out for her dress-up doll consisted of a simply white dress (like Greek or Roman style!) that was pinned at the shoulders and at various points on her arms. The shimmering pearly material pooled around her feet and the neckline settled just under her collarbones. Temari smiled happily and tied a sky-blue sash loosely around Sakura's slim waist. She took a curler and set to creating gentle waves in her friend's shoulder-length hair. Gazing at the younger kunoichi, she sighed and pushed her outside. Sakura thought that she heard something suspiciously like "How nice it is to be young…" but dismissed it as her imagination.
As Sakura stepped out of Temari's room slowly, the wind-user opened her fan and kept up a breeze from behind. Gaara looked up – and froze. With her hair fanning out around her flushed face and the creamy material of the dress floating softly near her bare feet, she looked like a goddess from a myth.
"What are you doing, Temari-chan?" she exclaimed. "I have to admit that it does feel good, though. It's warm in here; can we go outside?" Upstairs, Kankuro yelled and rushed down the stairs.
"Sure, Sakura! Though it's hot in the daytime, it gets cooler at night. Let's go!" Temari cheered, grabbing Sakura's hand. The medic-nin stumbled on the hem of her dress. "Hurry, hurry! Or Kankuro will beat us!" Gaara sighed and stood up, buckling on his gourd.
"Temari-chan, I can't run in this dress," Sakura reminded her friend, but Temari was already gone. Sakura squeaked in surprise as Gaara swept her up in his strong arms and carried her outside. "Eep!" The Kazekage looked down at her.
"Shh. If Temari sees me doing this, she'll never let me forget it – or you, either," he told her. She whimpered and closed her mouth. Temari would also tell Ino, who would tell everyone in Konoha, who would never let her forget it for the rest of her life.
Temari was already outside. Gaara set Sakura down, steadied her, and asked, "Can you make it from here?" She nodded and, picking up the silky cloth around her legs, ran to her friend, who was yelling triumphantly at a scowling Kankuro.
"Ha! I beat you! Oh, hi, Sakura! See, you ran pretty fast in that dress!" the older kunoichi beamed. Sakura turned red and dropped the edges of her dress, clasping her hands behind her back.
Kankuro looked around his sister and gaped. "What have you done to Sakura-sama?" Temari shrugged.
"We were playing dress-up, weren't we, Sakura?" The now normally-colored girl nodded in confirmation. The puppeteer whistled in admiration.
There were three folding chairs, and Temari and Kankuro occupied two of them. Sakura and Gaara stood next to the empty one. Temari stood and gestured for Sakura to take her chair. The medic-nin smiled but shook her head.
"It's your chair, Temari-chan; you sit in it, she insisted. Both women stood with their arms crossed, staring at each other until finally, with a sigh, Temari surrendered and sat down.
Suddenly, Sakura found herself being pushed down onto the remaining chair. Looking down, she saw that it was sand that was moving her. When she struggled to remain standing, Gaara only smirked and increased the pressure. She tried to punch through the sand, but it only trapped her fist. Once she was in the chair, the sand formed a kind of cocoon around her in a painfully familiar gesture. Her eyes widened in fear. She'd been pinned to a tree like this once, and she'd almost died.
"Kazekage-sama…" she choked out through the tightening in her throat. "K-Kazekage-sama!" Temari stood up, glaring daggers at her younger brother.
"Gaara! You're scaring her!" she shouted. Startled, Gaara glanced at Sakura's face, which was pale and drawn. Her lips were trembling, and her breathing was coming in short, sharp, irregular breaths. He opened his hand, and the sand fell away to reveal Sakura's clenched fists.
"Gomen… gomenasai, Haruno-san," he muttered, looking at her face. she forced a small smile, not quite meeting his eyes.
"It's okay, Kazekage-sama," she replied shakily, trying to rise. Standing behind her, Gaara used his hands to push her firmly down onto the seat and held her there.
"Sit," he commanded gently. When she obeyed without an argument, he let go of her and sat on the stood of sand he had created for himself. Presently, the exhausted girl fell asleep in the cool evening breeze as they watched the sun set. Before her eyes closed, however, she spoke quietly.
"May I sleep here tonight?" she asked nobody in particular. Temari nodded silently, her face turned to the horizon. They sat there in silence – not an awkward one, but a comfortable, relaxed silence.
Soon Kankuro got up and stretched, yawning.
"The sun's going down – I'm going to bed. 'Night, minna-san." He padded sleepily up the stairs to his room.
A few minutes later, Temari stood, only half awake. "G'night, Sakura," she mumbled. "You coming up, Gaara?"
He shook his head. "I'd like to stay out here for a little longer," he murmured, looking at his hands. His sister snorted with her eyes closed.
"Don't wake us up tomorrow before noon," she grumbled. "It's Friday night." With that, she disappeared into the house, leaving Gaara with a sleeping Sakura.
Lying on the chair with her dress bellowing out in the night wind, and her long hair being gently caressed by the air current, and her bright eyes closed, and her face peacefully at rest, and her hands laid at her side, the image Sakura created was that of a sleeping Greek or Roman goddess. (I know, that was a really long run-on sentence. ) Suppressing a sudden urge to reach out and touch her, the Kazekage sat beside her and gazed at her face. Free from the stress of the day, the kunoichi's face was softer, somehow, and less harsh.
For an hour – one quiet, peaceful hour – Gaara sat and stared at Sakura. Finally, the need the touch her overwhelmed him, and he couldn't help it. His hand moved of its own accord to brush past her closed eyes and move one silky strand of hair, tucking it gently behind her ear. He noticed that her skin was smooth and unmarred by scars of the life she lived. She stirred slightly at his touch, but as he withdrew his hand, relaxed with a sigh. The red-haired young man took the seat across from hers and settled himself into a comfortable position. He closed his eyes and, though he didn't fall asleep, withdrew to a dark corner of his mind.
Sakura woke the next morning when the first rays of sunlight shone on her face. Yawning, she swung her legs over the edge of the chair onto the ground and stood, straightening the thin material of her dress. The sash around her waist had come loosed wile she slept, so she retied it. Drawing her fingers through the air, she quickly worked out the knots.
Looking over to the other chairs, she was surprised to see Gaara sitting across from her with his black-rimmed eyes closed. Though he still looked like the Kazekage, this was a side of him she'd never seen before. With his face relaxed and not scowling or frowning, he was actually quite good-looking. (She just noticed this!) Seeing him like this, Sakura finally understood why his fangirls were willing to follow him anywhere.
Then she remembered how she'd overheard two girls talking. One had said that he looked like a panda; now, gazing at his face, she could see a slight resemblance. Suddenly and image of a panda controlling sand appeared in her mind and she giggled.
"What are you giggling about?" he demanded without opening his eyes. Sakura stepped back on instinct, but came forward again as she answered, her face red from the laughter she was still holding in.
"Nothing, Kazekage-sama," she replied, wiping her eyes. "Did I wake you…"
"I don't sleep," he answered curtly. Any other girl that he knew (with an exception of Temari, of course – she was his sister) would have asked him why not, but Sakura immediately bowed and apologized.
"Eh! Gomenasai, Kazekage-sama!" she exclaimed.
"Forget about it," he replied gruffly. "Why are you up so early?" Gesturing to the inside of the house, he added, "They won't be up until noon, unless you call them."
Sakura chuckled. "Let them sleep," she said cheerfully. "But meanwhile, are you hungry? I'm sure Temari-chan wouldn't mind if I use her kitchen."
"Hn. It's your kitchen now – you're the only one who can cook," he replied. His stomach growled, answering her question for him. She laughed and turned.
"What would you like, Kazekage-sama?"
Gaara grunted, frowning. "I'm not the Kazekage in this house," he muttered. "The Kazekage does the paperwork." Again, Sakura laughed, and Gaara decided that he liked that sound.
"Okay, then, Gaara-sama," she answered, smiling cheekily, ""you still haven't answered y question."
The not-Kazekage growled in frustration. "I don't care," he told her. "Anything. And don't call me Gaara-sama!"
Sakura grinned. "So what should I call you? Gaara-chan?" Laughing, she danced off to her room to change. It would be a pity to ruin the beautiful dress by cooking with it on.
After donning a black and red outfit, she hurried down to the kitchen and began looking through the refrigerator. She decided to make soup, and, after debating with herself, also threw in the leftover curry from last night. She'd found some chicken and beef, managed to save the last of the veggies, and had added a cup full of rice. When everything was cooked, she turned off the stove, placed a lid on the pot, and went to find Gaara.
"Oi, Gaara-sama! Breakfast is ready!" she called. He stomped in, looking at her unhappily.
"I told you to stop calling me that!" he said, frowning. Sakura huffed impatiently.
"Fine then! Gaara-san, breakfast is ready," she repeated. Slapping a hand to his forehead, he groaned loudly.
"No Gaara-san, either," he told her sternly. She looked at him in exasperation, sighing.
"So what do I call you?" she demanded.
"Gaara is fine," he replied, quietly, not wanting to be overheard. Fangirls were everywhere; even the walls had ears. Sakura put a finger to her lips and thought for a moment. A semi-evil grin grew on her face.
"Can I call you Gaara-chan, then?" she asked innocently. His eyes narrowed a tiny bit, but he nodded, sighting regretfully.
"Arigato, Ka – Gaara… chan. Let's go eat!" Grabbing his hand, she dragged him to the kitchen and, with her abnormal strength, pushed him down into a chair. As she dished out a bowl of soup (which was basically congee – congee… yum!), he rubbed his shoulders and winced.
"You certainly like exploiting your power," he grumbled. She snorted, setting the bowl down in front of him.
"What good is it if I don't use it?" she wanted to know. "At least I don't chuck chairs out the window. Or at people," she added, glancing pointedly at him. He promptly ignored her, giving his full and undivided attention to his soup.
Kankuro stumbled into the kitchen, sniffing the air hopefully. "Ohayo, Sakura-sama," he mumbled. "Is there enough to go around?"
Sakura laughed. "Of course, Kankuro-san. You should just call me Sakura, you know," she added.
"But Sakura-sama is Sakura-sama," the puppeteer insisted. Rubbing his head, he added, "Ever since you left a dent in my skull."
Temari's voice rang out. "You had it coming, Kankuro. Nobody annoys Sakura and gets away with it. That smells good, Sakura. Can I have some?"
"Of course, Temari-chan!" the medic-nin exclaimed. "Kankuro-san, can you get two more chairs, please?"
Once they were all seated, Sakura turned to Temari. "Oh, yeah! That pretty dress you lent me yesterday is in my room; remind me to put it in yours after breakfast."
The older woman beamed. "I'm glad you like it," she chirped happily. "You can have it – it doesn't fit me, anyways."
Sakura gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "A-are you sure, Temari-chan?" she asked weakly. "I – I don't know how to thank you – "
Temari waved it off casually, saying, "Don't bother. Just do me one favor, 'kay?" She winked. "Wear it. Otouto-kun seems to like it." Sakura blushed prettily, looking at Gaara, who had suddenly decided that his empty bowl was more fascinating than the conversation. Kankuro maintained a polite silence, but Sakura could tell he was smirking behind his hand.
"Are you finished?" she asked, standing abruptly. Gathering Temari's, Kankuro's, and he bowls, she glanced uncertainly at Gaara, ho was glaring at his silverware. "Ano… Kaze – Gaara… chan…?" Without looking up, he handed her his dishes, then got up and disappeared in a swirl of sand so that nobody would see the pink tinge on his cheeks.
" 'Gaara-chan?' What's up with that?" Temari asked, grinning at the pink-haired kunoichi who was washing the dishes with a strange expression
"I'm not allowed to call him Gaara-sama, Kazekage-sama, or Gaara-san, so what else can I call him?" She shrugged. "Just Gaara is too informal, Gaara-kun reminds me too much of Sasuke-kun, and I think that Gaara-chan sounds cute."
Temari sweatdropped but said nothing. After a moment of silence (during which Kankuro departed), she grabbed Sakura's hand and dragged her upstairs.
"I've got one more outfit to show you! We'll need to get that dress, though."
Gaara was lying on his back with his gourd by his side when Sakura's voice cut through his thoughts – which, for some reason, had been full of petals and leaves.
"Ano… it's been three weeks since you began meeting these women, and Temari-chan and I think that you should chose one to stick with for now…" she murmured, fidgeting with her fingers.
Gaara sat up to glare at her – his eyes widened, and his expression softened. Temari was a genius, he thought to himself. She'd lengthened the bottom of the dress even more, so that the slightest wind picked it up and blew it around Sakura, but revealed nothing. Her hair was loose and wild, but not messy, and her arms were adorned by a single, silver armband.
He was pulled back from his staring when she held something out to him – it was a ball of smooth, round crystal, handing from a simple chain of white gold. It looked perfect lying in her pale hand.
"It's to show that you would like the woman you chose to be your… girlfriend… without causing an embarrassing scene," she explained, her eyes sparkling with tears. "Whoever gets that will be very lucky… Someone gave me one once…" Someone gave me one once…" His heart clenched.
"And? What happened?" He held out his hand, tanned by the sun and dark against hers.
"…He put it one me and then knocked me out." She dropped the necklace into his hand and turned away, sighing. She sat down next to him with her chin resting on her knees. "Any unmarried woman – and perhaps a few married ones as well – in this village will gladly accept that, Gaara-san," she commented softly. "Just choose one."
"Any woman?" he asked suddenly. She nodded and smiled, though he didn't see it. She closed her eyes, feeling the soft sand beneath her body, and the breeze brush past her. She was shocked when something cool touched her neck. Jerking back, she realized that it was the necklace.
"Wh-what are you – " Her voice was cut off as he pulled her to his side, taking her hand in his.
"You are in the village, are you not?" he asked. "Do you want to go have lunch with me?" She smiled through her tears and entwined her fingers with his, nodding.
"H-hai, Gaara…kun." He smiled gently at her and pulled her closer.
Epilogue
Temari grinned from her view in the house, lowering her binoculars. "For once, Tsunade-sama won a bet! Shizune-san will have a heart attack!" She skipped off to tell the Hokage.
"Oi, Shizune! Temari just told me that Gaara gave Sakura the necklace!" the blond shinobi called to her secretary. "I win! Get out the sake!"
Shizune rubbed her head and decided that today was not her lucky day, all the while wishing the new couple happiness (I know, I know. It sounds like they eloped or something… Oh well.)
Somewhere far off in a restaurant in Suna, Sakura sneezed.