Chapter 2
Sakura had unpacked her scrolls and was now sitting on the sofa watching a television program while Gaara read over some scrolls he had brought with him. They both had decided to relax from their travel before going out to meet the others. Sakura had wanted to walk around Konoha but had ultimately decided that taking a break was a good thing.
Occasionally she could see Gaara frowning and circling things beside her, making no noise as he did so other than the occasional sigh. His sighing and the television droning on in the background were the only noises in the room; there was no conversation between the two and Sakura was completely fine with the companionable silence.
Around four Sakura heard footsteps on the stairs followed by the door flying open to allow Ino to stride right over to the living room where they were sitting without a single pause in her movements.
"Well hi Ino! Come on in!" Sakura quipped sarcastically as Ino rolled her eyes.
"I'm here to deliver important information Forehead. The party's at six at the club where Tsunade had her Christmas party. Dress nice, it's formal, and yes Forehead, that means a dress." She gave Sakura a pointed look as Sakura's eyebrow's furrowed. "I'll leave so you can have about an hour and a half to get ready. I'll see you tonight and I mean it about the dress thing!" She pointed a perfectly manicured finger at Sakura reproachfully and then waved with a cordial smile before leaving the house and shutting the door.
Sakura huffed in an annoyance as Gaara looked at her with a cautiously quizzical expression.
"You'd think she owned the place! I seriously need to get an Ino alarm system. Obviously not setting up traps when I'm in the house isn't working." She grumbled as she shut off the television and stood up from the couch. "I'd better start getting ready. I have no idea what to wear." Gaara stood and followed her to her bedroom where they had previously placed their scrolls. Sakura tossed him his and then retreated to the bathroom.
Gaara opened his scroll once he heard the water running and picking out a white long sleeved collared shirt with some simple black dress pants. He paired this with a black jacket he had brought in case of a formal occasion.
Sakura had found a simple red halter dress that Ino had once bought her for a clan dinner she had been forced to attend. She had packed it in case Ino decided to throw a formal party, which she figured was inevitable. The dress itself reached to her knees and had an open back with a criss-cross pattern and a simple halter neckline. It complimented her usual fashion tastes and could be worn with a pair of plain black heels. Sakura pulled her hair up into a simple ponytail letting a few strands frame her face before applying a tiny amount of mascara.
The result was simple but elegant and Sakura was rather happy with her appearance. She opened the door to the bedroom and saw Gaara waiting by the door. His turquoise eyes scanned her immediately as she herself couldn't resist scanning his appearance as he so rarely wore suits.
"You look wonderful."
"I would say the same but stunning fits better." He gave her a small smile, secretly proud that the etiquette and courtesy training he had so loathed when he had first become Kazekage now had meaning when knowing how to compliment Sakura. She followed him to the door where she grabbed a white jacket and slid it on.
They stepped outside into the cool night air of Konoha and descended the steps to the street. Gaara held one of her hands lightly in his as they walked out onto the street. The walk to the club was relatively peaceful and both enjoyed the silence of the twilight around them. Few people were out as it was just around dinnertime. The few that saw them and recognized them nodded or smiled but respected the stillness of the evening.
The pair turned onto the road that led to the club and immediately noticed that they could already hear the party going on. Sakura looked at Gaara with a slightly apprehensive expression and sighed.
"Are you ready for this? Ino can go over the top, a lot." He smirked at her serious expression.
"I remember from the bachelorette and bachelor after party." Sakura nodded and squeezed his hand slightly as they walked into the club entryway.
The guard nodded to them and opened the door to the inner part of the club. The two thanked him and stepped inside.
Music and lights filled the club as people milled about the spacious room. All those currently inside were rather early, and all of them were sporting obvious signs of being shinobi, even if their nice apparel suggested otherwise. Ino must have threatened them all to be well dressed as Sakura could hardly ever remember seeing most of the shinobi out of standard wear unless forced.
A small group of their friends spotted them as Sakura gave the coat girl her jacket and headed over to where Ino was enthusiastically waving them over.
"Forehead you really clean up nicely! See I always said that dresses suited you!" Ino commented as soon as Sakura was close enough to hear her.
"Not so bad yourself Pig." Ino smirked and tossed her hair over her shoulder with a glance to the others sitting at the table.
"I wasn't so sure about the rest of them showing up in formal attire but they seemed to have done an adequate job." The three of them walked over to a table where a small portion of their friend group was gathered. Sakura rolled her eyes at the statement. She knew that Ino was not opposed to abusing her powers of mind-linking to force people to do what she wanted. That paired with her uncanny ability to wreck annoying havoc on people's lives usually did the trick in getting people to cave to her will.
A beaming Naruto was the first to enthusiastically jump up and greet them when they reached the table.
"You look great Sakura-chan! I'm glad you're back in Konoha, tonight is going to be awesome!" Naruto hugged her and smiled at Gaara who nodded at the blonde.
Sakura eyed his apparel with a quirk of her brow wondering where Naruto had managed to find a blue and orange striped tie and an orange shirt. Ino, catching her gaze rolled her eyes and shook her head while putting her hands up in a 'beats me' motion.
Hinata, wearing a gorgeous long purple dress, greeted them after Naruto, blushing as the blonde boy commented on the color of her dress looking nice. Sakura gave Gaara a sideways glance, which he returned, as Hinata retreated to the table.
Sakura watched Hinata leave as she noticed the other early attendees sitting around the table.
She was surprised to see Lee, who was now greeting her and Gaara with a beaming smile, dressed in a green dress jacket with a white shirt that matched his style while not looking overly vibrant. It was one of the few times Sakura could ever recall seeing him out of the green jumpsuit, though she had a feeling it was still on under his outfit.
Neji, who was wearing a rather stiff but simple looking haori sat near Tenten who was dressed in a nice looking cheongsam style dress in a deep blue color. They both were obviously sitting near Lee to make sure he didn't touch a drop of alcohol.
Sakura took a seat next to Gaara at the table as Shino greeted them from his silent place across the table. She had yet to see Choji or Shikamaru and assumed that Ino, who had disappeared with an annoyed look on her face, was looking for them.
Just as Tenten had begun a conversation with Sakura, Kiba showed up at the table with a grin plastered on his face.
"Hey you guys gotta come and dance! Come on I even saw Kotetsu and Izumo dancing but none of you guys are!" Sakura looked at Kiba and then at Gaara.
"Well one dance wouldn't hurt." She conceded as Gaara nodded.
"We might as well." Kiba beamed and looked at the others as Naruto and Lee stood as well along with a blushing Hinata who had been silently urged on by Shino of all people.
Ino had reappeared and had strolled right out onto the dance floor and started dancing next to Genma who's senbon was still annoying tucked between his teeth.
Sakura was making her way to the dance floor with Gaara when she caught sight of Choji sitting at the bar. She noticed his hand tighten on the glass he was holding almost to the point of breaking it.
She touched Gaara's arm lightly and motioned towards Choji. His turquoise eyes regarded the man for a moment before he nodded to Sakura and followed her to the bar.
Sakura didn't waste time saying hi to Choji as she promptly grabbed his arm and all but thrust him onto the dance floor. He ended up right next to Ino who turned and looked at him in surprise. He looked awkward for a split second before the blonde smiled and began coaxing him to dance.
Those that had seen the minor spectacle chuckled as Sakura returned to Gaara's side with a casual smile.
"What? He wanted to anyways." She waved her hand dismissively as Gaara took her hand and smiled discreetly at his wife.
Shikamaru, who had obviously arrived late, had nodded to Sakura and Gaara as he slipped across the room and out of Ino's line of sight. He had avoided Ino's wrath by mere moments, ducking behind a rather clumsy Naruto whose jerky dance movements had Hinata's face a permanent shade of red.
Successfully avoiding her glance, he slid into the booth next to Shino and had ordered a drink. He now sat with a content look on his face as he lazily sipped his own drink.
"Thinking about something Shikamaru?" Shino asked, breaking his usual silent demeanor as he noticed the shadow wielder's eyes had the familiar look that meant he was deep in thought. Shikamaru looked at him and sighed his usual sigh.
"Yeah. I think I'm going to go to Suna soon." Shino nodded and Neji regarded him with a pointed look from across the table.
"I knew you would leave sooner or later. We all knew. Sakura knew you would before the rest of us did." Shikamaru looked up at the usually stoic Hyuuga and nodded.
"I know. I never would have even thought of making any sort of move unless she had taken that leap with Gaara. I think she changed all of us, troublesome woman." Neji nodded slightly as Tenten ran over and pulled on his hand. He followed her to the dance floor reluctantly but Shikamaru knew that he wanted to go but was still hiding behind his icy demeanor as he always had and probably always would.
Shino and Shikamaru watched as their friends danced and talked for a while until Shino, having had enough of the party, made his excuses and left.
"Do you think we should have stayed with Shikamaru? He looks lonely." Sakura asked, looking over at her friend. Gaara took her hand in his, spinning them around.
"We will join him in a moment. The dress you are wearing is too nice for me not to appreciate." He placed his hand on her mostly bare back sending shivers up her spine that he felt.
He looked at her with a slightly amused expression as the fast song changed to a slow one fitting their current style of dance. Gaara held her hand in his own with his hand on her back and her hand resting on his upper back as they moved around the dance floor easily.
All eyes not currently involved in dancing were upon Gaara and Sakura as they moved so perfectly to the song matching every step and swell of the music. They made another turn as Sakura twirled out and back in, pressed against Gaara's chest now making her blush as he kept her in that position holding her close and moving in a slow circle. They were completely content to once again simply take in the other's scent and closeness as they had done at their first wedding.
"Gaara the song ended." Sakura whispered as a fast song came on and Gaara continued to move with her in a slow circle.
"I noticed." He murmured as Sakura sighed and laughed. He looked at her completely bemused as she looked back up at him with a beaming smile.
"Oh Gaara you didn't have to wait until a slow song came on to hold me like that. I am welcome to it any time." She pulled out of his embrace and twirled out before twirling back into his arms where he caught her and dipped her down quickly and then back up again. "Where did you learn to dance so well?" She giggled as he held her close once more.
"Dancing lessons for political mixers when I first became Kazekage." He replied as Sakura laughed.
After the song they had been dancing to bled into another equally fast paced song, Sakura decided it was time to greet some of the others in the room.
She took Gaara's arm and immediately began guiding him to where she had spotted a masked man silently watching them.
"Yo Sakura, Gaara, how has my favorite former student and her husband been?" Sakura smiled at her lazy former Sensei. He had lost the flak jacket but the standard Jonin shirt and pants were still in place.
"We've been great Kakashi-sensei! Busy though, you know how it gets when you're working in a hospital and going to meetings all of the time." She watched as he shook his head.
"I really don't know how that feels. I've never really been one to go to meetings." Sakura rolled her eyes.
"Yeah I would expect that you wouldn't know. I know you take it easy Sensei, we all know, you are late to everything because of it." Kakashi shook his head at her.
"Such harsh words. I am not always late, and I always have a good reason." Sakura merely rolled her eyes like she had when she was younger.
"Sensei, you never gave us a good reason." She joked as Gaara watched their interaction with a sense of detachedness. He hadn't ever been as close to Baki as Sakura obviously was with Kakashi, of course, Baki was also a very different man.
Gaara listened to Sakura lecture Kakashi about reporting to the hospital for post-mission checkups regardless of the fact that she was no longer there.
He was listening to Kakashi's excuses when he noticed Ino spot them and rush over as Sakura caught sight of her and groaned. Kakashi, having familiarized himself with Sakura's trademark 'it's Ino again' groan early on in her Genin years nodded to them and mumbled something about talking to Kurenai before conveniently disappearing.
"Gaara, Sakura are you enjoying the party!?" Ino glided to the pair and leaned on a post near them sipping something that smelled obnoxiously fruity.
"It's nice Ino, I'm happy to see everyone, thanks for having it." Ino beamed and then quirked her head towards Gaara and then back to Sakura, looking at them with obvious new interest.
"So when exactly do you leave for your honeymoon?" Sakura was about to answer when Tsunade came over in a slightly buzzed state and cut her off with a slightly slurred exclamation.
"They leave tomorrow!" Sakura looked at her in disbelief.
"No Shishou, we're staying for a few days right?" She furrowed her brow in confusion and looked at her husband. He looked a little guilty as he nodded towards Tsunade.
"I was thinking we could stay longer when we return. I asked Tsunade to set up something for us and the only time she could get was tomorrow. I promise we can stay at least five days when we get back." Sakura turned to Gaara once more with a look of utter surprise on her face.
Ino and Tsunade shared a concerned glance and both wondered if she would snap on Gaara like she usually did to others when situations like this occurred. They were both surprised when she sighed and looked at Tsunade and Ino.
"Well I guess it can't be helped, I'll see everyone when we get back." Tsunade gave her a cocked eyebrow and a disbelieving look but then shrugged.
Ino's face was much more descriptive as she openly gawked at her friend's changed behavior. She had little time to snap out of her stupor as Tenten suddenly rushed over to the group hauling a slightly miffed looking Neji in her wake.
She slowed slightly to grab Sakura's arm, towing her off and away from Gaara calling to him about catching up with her. Ino and Tsunade turned to Gaara as soon as they left.
"What the hell was that about? I've never seen Sakura act calm like that when someone told her plans had been changed last minute. Not even towards Tsunade and I! That is like her biggest pet peeve." Ino's thoughts seemed to pour out of her mouth as she sipped at her drink with an obvious tinge of jealousy. Gaara's stoic poker face had returned as he shrugged.
"We finally found the miracle Sakura calmer! Used in most situations where Sakura would blow her top!" She laughed loudly and gave Gaara a rather harsh pat on the back before walking over to where a rather drunken Genma was leaning against a table.
Tsunade smiled at Gaara and whispered something to him in a serious tone as she passed him by. "A mellow approach to a change in plans is not at all like Sakura no matter whom it is that's telling her. Keep that in mind for the future." She smiled cordially to him and then continued on her way.
Gaara, taking her tone and foreboding words as a strange sort of warning, was perplexed and mildly concerned as to what the Hokage had said and how she had said it.
Deciding that it was a matter to concern himself with at a later time, Gaara moved to where his wife sat with a small group of friends. Sakura smiled at him as he sat and took his hand in hers under the table lacing her small fingers through his. To him this was a small sign of relief after the Hokage's odd warning.
"Gaara what time are we leaving tomorrow and when did you set this up?" Sakura's voice broke him out of his thoughts.
"Around nine in the morning. I sent her messages today but I had it planned from much earlier. I can move it later if you wish." He waited for her expression to change or for her to voice some complaint but she merely shrugged and looked at him with a calm expression.
"I don't mind Gaara really." She gave his hand a small squeeze to reassure him and then turned back to the group and resumed idle chatter with Tenten.
Tsunade's warning crept back into his mind as he wondered if she had been wrong. She had known Sakura for much longer than he had but maybe Sakura had changed in the past few months more than anyone realized. He himself had been altered, that much was clear, but maybe their marriage had altered a part of her temper.
Ino had pointed out at the bachelorette and bachelor after party that Sakura seemed much happier being with him. He was much happier himself and agreed that it was because of Sakura. He had never once been this happy in his entire life and he knew that he had only her to thank.
"Well I'm going to head home since we're leaving tomorrow. Tell Ino that it was a great party." Gaara snapped out of his thoughts once more at Sakura's goodbye. He had apparently missed most of the conversation at the table while pondering his own thoughts.
Tenten nodded and wished them well as Neji gave a stern sort of nod to them both. Shikamaru merely gave them the strangest melancholy filled smile.
"Goodnight Sakura, Gaara, sleep well."
"Goodnight Shikamaru, we'll see you in a few days." Sakura smiled at her friend and then turned to leave with her husband who gave Shikamaru a sideways look.
Naruto caught the two as they were leaving and gave both a large hug and a beaming smile before returning to where he had been challenging Kiba to a dance off.
Sakura and Gaara left quickly; grabbing her coat at the coat check in before Ino could notice they were gone. As they stepped outside their breath turned into small swirls of white mist into the chill night air.
It was a clear night and the stars shone down peacefully on Konoha. It was a sleepy town at night unlike the gambling towns Tsunade had frequented before she was Hokage. Sakura had been to towns like that where it never seemed to calm down and there were still lights and people up around two in the morning.
Konoha was different. Those up late at night were silent and were often those on patrol or shinobi that were returning from missions or recovering from them. Sakura liked Konoha at night. When she was younger, she used to sit on her windowsill and look out at the stars on nights like this.
Gaara watched her expression change to one of a peaceful relaxed girl to the grin he knew meant she had an idea.
"Gaara would you mind going somewhere before we go home?" She asked, looking up at him with a determined smile.
"Where did you have in mind?" Sakura smiled at him and took his hand in hers.
"You'll see." He looked at her with an expression of amusement and happiness that was a new development since he married Sakura.
He followed her through the streets of Konoha and across the bridge that marked the exit to the woods beyond the city. Sakura continued to training field three, or what she had dubbed as Team Seven's old training field, before walking further along the edge of the woods.
They continued along a path into the trees that she seemed to know very well. Finally, they came to a large open field that led up to a big hill with a large tree at the top. She walked up the hill to where the tree stood and looked at Gaara.
"I used to come here with my mom on nights like this in the summer. They bring academy students out here as well to play on days when it is nice and they can spare the extra people for protection." She ran her hand along the rough bark of the tree before speaking again.
"Mom and I used to count the fireflies out here until we couldn't anymore. I would catch them and show them to her and she would laugh and watch as I ran around. Then we would look at the stars. I loved doing that. She would tell me about my dad as well. We would laugh and talk about him for hours on end… It was one of the only times she ever talked about him, when we were out here and alone." Gaara watched her silently, sensing that this was her way of letting him into even more to her life.
"My mom said that my dad loved fireflies and would come here to watch them as well. She met my father in a meadow like this when she was returning home from a neighboring village. One night when we were watching the fireflies, she told me that my father had once asked her if she knew how they came to be. She said no and he told her a story about them that he had heard as a young child. She told me the story and I still remember it. I remember almost all of the stories she told me." Gaara looked at her and waited for her to speak again as she smiled at him. He walked over to her and they looked up at the sky for a while in silence. Soon Sakura shivered and Gaara looked down at her with concern.
"Are you cold?" He asked and she nodded.
"We'll come back when it's warmer; it's too cold for this now and there aren't any fireflies yet. I'll tell you the story as we walk back."
"That is fine." Gaara stated, now very intrigued. He did not hear many stories growing up and was very curious about stories she had heard. Especially if it was a story that was important to her.
"Well it's the story of how fireflies came to be. It's a children's story but it's still one of my favorites."
Gaara watched her take a deep breath and then smile before speaking.
"A long time ago, a woodsman and his wife lived on the edge of a beautiful forest beneath a mountain. Not a mountain like in Lightning, all jagged and sharp but, you know, a nice mountain…" She shook her head as she diverted slightly from the story. "Anyways, they had a cozy little house and a beautiful garden, but they weren't happy, because they both wanted a child but couldn't have any. One moonlit night, the wife slipped out of the house and laid herself down before the great mountain with its shining snowcap -this was in the winter, not the spring- she then begged for the Lady of the Moon to send her and her husband a child. As she prayed, a tiny light appeared high upon the mountain and began to drift down toward the woman. When the light reached the branches of the bamboo, it stopped. The woman was overjoyed when she found it was a Moonchild, sent by the Lady of the Moon herself as she had taken pity on the woman."
Sakura's voice stopped as they passed the guard who nodded to them both as they continued down the street. As soon as they were out of earshot, Sakura began to speak again.
"She took the child home to her husband and told him the story, he immediately loved the child as his own. So years went by and the Moonchild grew into a beautiful young woman, a Moon Princess, who was beloved by all who saw her. She had skin as white as snow and hair that shone like starlight." Sakura giggled a bit at this, looking up at Gaara and giving a sheepish smile.
"I guess the story had to make her seem like the moon, but that's not really part of the story. Ahem, so an emperor and his son ruled the kingdom where the Moon Princess lived with her parents. One day the Emperor's son's carriage broke while passing through the village where the Moon Princess lived. She came upon the carriage and the Emperor's son and immediately he was enthralled with her beauty." Sakura paused again, taking a breath before she continued.
"Well she convinced the Emperor's son to stay in the town as the carriage was fixed and he saw the Moon Princess nearly every day. On the day that he was to return to the palace, he asked for her hand in marriage. However, she refused, saying that her mother, the Lady of the Moon, had placed a spell on her that would return her home to the sky when she reached the age of eighteen. This never made sense to me but mom swore that eighteen was important."
"The Emperor's son couldn't bear to part with her so he stayed by her side until the night came for her to leave, the two were really in love by this point and it was heartbreaking for them both. The woodsman, his wife, and the Emperor's son were all there to say goodbye, and they wept as the time came for the Moon Princess to leave. The Lady of the Moon sent down a silver moonbeam for her daughter, and the Princess floated up to the heavens on it. As she floated, the Princess cried silver tears for those she was forced to leave behind. As they fell, they took wing and flew all over the land. The Moon Princess' tears can still be seen on moonlit nights. Some call them fireflies, but those who know the legend know that they are the Princess' tears, searching for those she loved on Earth and had to leave behind." Sakura sighed as she finished the story.
"My mother always told me that if you caught one it was like catching the moon in your hands. I would catch as many as I could and always kept count." Gaara looked at Sakura and met her eyes with a slight smile as they reached her door.
"That is a lovely story Sakura, thank you for telling it to me. Temari told me a few stories when I was little but they are very different than your stories I suppose. Ours are mostly about the desert and the sand. I'll tell them to you some time." She smiled as they walked inside.
"I'd like that Gaara." He took her coat and hung it on the peg near the door before walking down the hall with her to the bedroom. They had taken off their shoes and placed them back in the clothing scroll before pulling out their pajamas. Sakura walked into the bathroom to change as Gaara changed into his usual black pants and shirt that he always wore to bed. Sakura opened the door to the bathroom and walked over to the bed flopping down onto it with a sigh. Gaara looked at her and laid down next to her letting her crawl into his arms.
"Ino's parties tire you out?" He asked and she nodded while stifling a yawn.
"They always do. She goes over the top every time. At least this time I'm not the one dragging a drunk Ino back to her house at two in the morning. That was never fun." She sighed and laid her head against Gaara's shoulder. "It's so odd to think only a year ago I was only a friend of yours. I knew so little about you but now, it's hard for me to imagine not having you here." Gaara looked down at the pink haired form wrapped around him and agreed with her completely.
"I know." He sighed against her head and closed his eyes pulling the covers around them as Sakura closed her eyes and stayed with her head on his chest.
"Goodnight." She whispered.
"Goodnight." He replied as they both fell asleep in each other's arms like they had for months. He couldn't help but feel something on his heart seem to lift away. Like the weight was suddenly gone leaving him feeling better than he ever had.
"Thank you Sakura, for deciding that I was the one." He thought as he slipped into his dreams.
Sakura, in turn, found herself somewhere she hadn't been in a while. She looked around and saw she was in the cherry blossom clearing again.
"It's about time you showed up." Inner stood with her arms crossed as he regarded Sakura with a smirk. It was warm and the trees were in bloom, the pink petals scattered everywhere like a pink carpet.
"Well I'm sorry I've been busy." Sakura rolled her eyes as Inner gracefully jumped up onto a nearby tree branch.
"Ohh I can't wait until the honeymoon! You know I think Gaara is bringing us to the beach. I mean how romantic is that? A beach honeymoon!" Inner squealed and Sakura simply sighed and jumped up next to her before sitting.
"You know I don't care as long as I get a vacation. I got to see my friends again as well. I missed Shikamaru a lot and Naruto as well. I missed them all so much." Inner looked at her with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah but you and I both know that Shikamaru is going to go to Suna soon anyways. It's obvious he was thinking about it. He was debating over it at the party and I think seeing how happy you are with Gaara convinced him." Sakura looked at Inner and laughed.
"I sure hope he does! He's got it bad and we both know he needs someone to get him off of his lazy ass and making a long term commitment. Temari is the perfect choice. Besides, we could use him in Suna, even if it's only for a little while!"
A long silence filled the clearing as the wind gently blew through the leaves and scattered pink petals to the ground. The clearing grew darker for a moment as a puffy white cloud passed over the sun.
As both Sakura and Inner turned to watch the cloud, the sunlight streamed back over the green grass and petals of the clearing. Inner looked at Sakura and sighed.
"I'll talk to you later. You'd better go, you have better things to dream of. See you later." She waved and Sakura saw the clearing fade into a flash of white.
She blinked and saw that she was now outside of her house in Suna. She walked up to the door of her house and opened it before looking inside. She didn't see anyone and it seemed very quiet.
"Hello? Gaara? Are you home?" She looked around the kitchen and living room but didn't see him. She was about to go upstairs when she heard high-pitched laughter from the back yard.
"Haha catch me if you can!" A childish voice was carried from the open door as Sakura walked outside, blinking in the sunlight. Immediately she noticed Gaara, chasing after someone that ran behind a tree. She saw a smaller figure dart out from behind the tree and run across the yard. Gaara chased after it.
Sakura was suddenly curious about the child. She didn't have long to wonder because Gaara stopped and looked over at her, smiling suddenly as the smaller figure ran out from behind the tree and straight towards her.
"Mommy you're home!" The child, which she could now see was a little boy, laughed as he ran towards her and Sakura noticed with amazing clarity that the boy had light red hair, much lighter than Gaara's, and pale green eyes. He ran to her and she took him in her arms immediately in an automatic sort of reaction.
"Sakura I'm glad you're home, we were waiting for you." Gaara waked over to her and kissed her head as the little boy hung onto her around her neck. The dream started to fade and she heard a voice calling her name.
"Sakura it's time to get up." She blinked and looked up at the figure above her with a bewildered expression. Gaara looked at her for a moment and then kissed her head softly.
"Huh? But wasn't I just in Suna? Where's the boy?" She sat up completely confused as she realized it really had been just a dream. Gaara watched his wife blush suddenly as she looked at him. "Oh I'm sorry it was just a dream." He watched her lay back on the pillow and suddenly remembered something she had said a long time ago.
"You seem to dream often. I remember once, on the mission before we were married, you had had a dream and told me you would one day tell me about it." Sakura looked at him and blushed again, remembering that particular dream with great clarity.
Intrigued at her response, Gaara found himself rather amused at her blushing expression. "Was it that interesting?"
"Not in that way!" Sakura gawked at him as he simply continued to watch her with a calm expression.
"I never meant to insinuate anything."
Sakura sighed at him and shook her head. "I'll tell you if you'd like." Gaara said nothing but his expression and lack of movement told her he was waiting for her to speak.
"I was in a field and it was spring. I was somewhere in Konoha sitting in a field with a cherry blossom tree behind me. You came up to me and said you were sorry you didn't meet me at the gates of Konoha so I guess we were visiting here for a while. Then you said you didn't want me getting hurt and Naruto and you decided that I couldn't go on any more missions for a while, I'm assuming Naruto was Hokage at this point, and that you knew it was for my own good. I wasn't happy with it at first but I conceded because I knew your reasoning was justified. Then we sat in the field for a while and simply enjoyed each other's company."
She completed her story with a glance in his direction and immediately noticed his stoic expression.
"Why would I not want you to go on missions? I would never take that away from you Sakura unless I had a very good reason." Sakura looked at him and then looked away.
"Oh Gaara you did have a good reason. But never mind that, we need to get going right?" He nodded and she smiled, sitting up to kiss him on the lips softly. "I'm going to go get changed then we can go." He stood as she grabbed her clothing scroll and walked into the bathroom to change. The whole exchange had baffled him and he only assumed that Sakura's strange dreams were beyond his capacity of understanding.
A while later the two stood at the door fed, clothed, and properly geared up. "Are you ready?" Gaara asked her.
Sakura nodded as they stepped out into the chilly air, wrapping their travel cloaks just a little bit tighter around them. Sakura placed her usual chakra seals on the house and then they were off.
Sakura enjoyed the walk through the sleepy village. Though it wasn't exactly early, it was still quiet and peaceful in Konoha with only a few people milling about. Shopkeepers going about their business setting up their shops stopped and watched them as they passed by. The early shop goers smiled at them as they walked past and a few even bowed.
Sakura smiled at Gaara as they walked down the main road, ignoring the almost silent whispers that were being passed between the few people meandering around the street.
They arrived at the gate early and were surprised to see not only Tsunade, but Shikamaru as well. "Shikamaru why are you here to see us off? You know we'll be coming back." He gave her a nod.
"I was already up and decided it couldn't hurt." He gave her a lazy stare as she smiled at him.
"Thanks Shikamaru." He nodded to her as Tsunade cleared her throat.
"Well you two have to get on the road." Tsunade's arms were crossed as she stared at the pair in front of her. Sakura gave her a smile and a nod.
"We'll be back soon Shishou. Take care of everyone while we're gone." Tsunade scoffed slightly.
"As if I ever don't take care of them."
Sakura gave her an exasperated look and stood next to Gaara. The group stared at one another for a moment as Tsunade sighed and growled, "Oh just get going!"
The pair nodded and waved as they departed Konoha on Gaara's sand.
As soon as they were out of sight Shikamaru sighed. "I'm going to leave with them when they come back." Tsunade turned her gaze to him for a fraction of a second and then nodded, turning her gaze back to the road.
"We'll miss you here Shikamaru. Though I think it'll be good for Sakura to have someone else in Suna with her to remind her of home and for you to settle down. Unfortunately, losing Konoha's top upcoming strategist is something we'll have to discuss. I can't let them have all my best shinobi." Shikamaru watched as Tsunade turned and began walking away. She stopped a few feet from where they had been standing and looked back at him. "You coming? I'm going to grab a cup of sake at the pub, are you going to join me?" Shikamaru raised an eyebrow but followed her anyways.
"Drinking this early in the morning?" Tsunade huffed.
"It's never too early to drink kid." She smiled a little and he shook his head but followed her nonetheless. Shizune would murder him if she showed up completely inebriated to the Hokage office.
End of Chapter 2
