Author's Note: Here it is! The long awaited DATE! Sorry to have kept you all waiting, but I wanted it to be good. I don't know if I succeeded there. I hope you all enjoy it. It is the longest chapter yet, as I promised some of you it would be. I hope it doesn't go too ooc. Ooo...and watch for a pair from another anime. Just the character descriptions mind you. I changed the name a little and kidnapped them into Suna. This is completely unbetaed. If you spot any glaring mistakes let me know and Ill fix them.

Important note: I modeled Gaara's dress off one of my own. I have put a photo of this dress up on my imageshack account. Please do not comment on the dumpy woman wearing the dress. That is me and I'm not looking my best in that picture. It was taken in a hurry so I could post it with this chapter. Take out all the spaces to check it out: http:// img109. imageshack. us/img109/3817/ gaarasdress. jpg

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. My husband has a Naruto messenger bag, but that's it. They belong to some Japanese people and some publishing company. Yep, not mine. I don't make any monies ever!

Desert Flower

Chapter 6: Flowers in the desert

Naruto hesitated at the door Kankuro had indicated led to Temari's room. They had taken a leisurely walk through the building to kill time. Finally, he raised his hand and knocked lightly.

He was a bit confused when Sakura practically ripped open the door. She was smiling brightly as she stepped back to let the two boys enter.

Naruto had only taken a single step into the room when he spotted Temari and...

'Whoa! Who's that?' He gawked at the daring, black and red dress and the very nice legs below it.

"Eyes up, pervert." A sharp shove from the older boy, got the blonde to shuffle a few more steps into the room.

Naruto snapped his gaze up to the face of the girl he had been ogling. Amused, dark rimmed, green eyes met his from beneath a fringe of deep red bangs. The eye color and hair color were wrong but the face and those shadows around her eyes were very familiar.

"Gaara?!" Naruto gasped as his brain processed the fact that this was indeed his date.

'Temari dressed Gaara up like a real girl.' He thought, knowing Sakura would beat the crap out of him if he said that out loud. 'That's definitely going to fool the Kazekage fan club.'

Gaara's eyes had lost their amused glint and she was trying hard not to look away, hurt by his long silence. 'He hates it.' she thought to herself, 'He probably didn't mean for this to be a date and now he knows I thought it was one.' On the outside she carefully maintained the blank expression she was well known for.

A glare from Sakura and a subtle nudge from Kankuro reminded the stunned jinchuriki that he should say something, so he blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"Remind me to keep the Pervy Sage away from you."

He got three confused looks from the sand ninjas, and Sakura burst out giggling.

"My master can't resist a beautiful woman." Naruto scratched his head and blushed, but never took his eyes off the redhead.

Temari and Kankuro relaxed. The eldest sand sibling even broke into a lopsided grin.

Gaara blinked as she realized the leaf ninja had just called her beautiful, in a round about way. She flushed pale pink, 'He likes the disguise, baka.' Her insecurities chimed in snidely, 'Not you.' 'Damn, I thought I was done hearing voices.' She shook her head to clear it.

"Ready to go....um, I don't guess I can call you Gaara when we're out in the village, with you dressed like that, can I? Since nobody else knows you're a she."

The other four ninjas frowned.

"I hadn't thought of that." Temari admitted sheepishly.

"You can call me Sunako." Gaara spoke up.

Kankuro nodded, "It's a pretty common name. No one will question it."

"Yosh!" Naruto smiled and held out his hand, "Let's go, Sunako."

Gaara hesitated for just a moment before she took his hand in a firm grip. "Yes." She had just a few seconds to consider the feel of his hand in her own. Since losing her sand shield she had discovered that not everything felt like...well, sand. Naruto's palm was calloused and scarred and she could actually feel it. 'There are some good points to losing that protection.' She mused. Texture was a great thing.

"See you later, everybody." The blonde dragged her out the door.

The petite girl was once again glad her sister hadn't tried to force her to wear heels. Naruto fled the room with her in tow, like he was afraid of being chased. He didn't slow down until they were on the ground floor, three stories away from Temari's room.

She glanced at her date and focused on trying to keep her breathing even. She didn't want him to know how taxing that little run was for her. Days of unconsciousness and with having her chakra drained along with losing Shukaku had left her more weakened than she was prepared to let anyone see.

"Shit, G-Sunako." The blonde caught himself as an aide passed them in the hallway. "Sorry, I didn't even think about you still recovering from...uh...you know. Are you okay?"

'Guess I wasn't hiding it very well after all.' Gaara frowned. "I'm fine; just don't tell my brother or sister about this. Please." They'd never have let her go anywhere if they knew she couldn't run down the stairs without being winded. She'd have to start training in earnest as soon as possible.

"Sure. No problem." Naruto agreed, almost too quickly. 'If I have my way, I'm never discussing anything with your brother, ever again.'

"So, where would you like to go?" Gaara asked after she had quickly caught her breath.

The leaf ninja thought for a minute, "I'm hungry. Anywhere around here serve good ramen?"

The sand ninja shook her head, "We don't usually serve hot soup during the day here." She explained, "It makes the heat worse."

"Oh." Naruto frowned.

"I know a good place, though, if you trust me." She looked away, expecting to hear more questions or for him to outright refuse to trust her.

"Sounds great." He took her hand again, "You just lead the way."

She nodded and started walking, unable to come up with a reply in words.

They reached the doors leading out of the tower. This was the real test of her disguise. If she could get past the horde of obsessed fans waiting just beyond the door, they'd be free to go where they pleased.

Naruto squeezed her hand gently, "Ready?" He whispered, mindful of people around them.

She answered by shoving open the door with her free hand.

Gaara's rabid fan club consisted of seven women, ranging in age from 12 to 34. These women were hanging out in front of the building in a little bunch, waiting for the young Kazekage to come out. A few of the women glanced up at the sight of someone with red hair coming out of the building, but most quickly dismissed the pair as 'not Gaara' and therefore, not important.

One, however, recognized Naruto and headed over.

"It's Matsuri." Gaara whispered as she fell back to be out of the younger girl's direct view.

Naruto forced a smile when the girl got close to them.

"Ano..." she paused and looked at the ground shyly. "You're Naruto-san, ne? Gaara-sama's friend."

The blonde nodded, "Yeah, and you were Gaara's student, Matsuri-chan, right?"

She nodded and smiled briefly, "Yes." Her smile fell as she glanced down at her feet again. "Um...is...is Gaara-sama okay? They won't tell me anything specific."

Naruto grinned brightly, "Gaara's fine. Don't worry. Sh-Things will be back to normal in no time."

Matsuri frowned at being told the same thing again but she bowed slightly anyway, "Thank you, Naruto-san." She finally remembered that the blonde was not alone when she had first spotted him. "Oh, I'm sorry." She turned her attention on the little redhead waiting unobtrusively behind Naruto. "Hello. I don't think we've met. Are you a friend of Naruto-san?"

"Yes." Gaara nodded.

"I'm Matsuri." She bowed politely.

"Sunako." Gaara nodded.

"Yeah, well, we've gotta go. Sunako has promised to show me around. Nice seeing you again, Matsuri-chan." He grabbed Gaara's hand to pull her away.

"Um...Sunako?" Matsuri called hesitantly.

The redhead and her blonde date froze.

"Well, I noticed you kinda...look a lot like Gaara-sama."

"Oh?" Gaara turned to face her former student, trying to look surprised.

"Yes, I was wondering if you might be related to him?" The younger ninja asked nervously.

"In a way, yes."

"Oh, then maybe you could tell me..." The girl seemed to pull on some deeply hidden well of confidence, "Everyone keeps saying he'll be fine, but they mean physically. I want to know how he's doing in other ways."

The redhead's eyes widened slightly.

"He's the strongest person I know, but I worry that he pushes himself too hard. He won't let anyone help him. Have you seen him? Is he really alright? Is he working too much? Does he have nightmares now that he can sleep? Is he eating? He forgets to sometimes and you have to remind him." The young ninja was almost in tears. "I know I've been acting silly, fighting over him, but none of those idiots are good enough for him and he refuses to just tell them off. I'm stronger than they are. He trained me well. He's the closest thing to family I have and I had to do it to protect him. He won't let me help any other way."

Gaara's expression betrayed her shock at the younger girl's outburst. She knew Matsuri was important to her but she had no idea her student thought of her as family.

"I-I'm sure Gaara will be fine, Matsuri-chan." Naruto interjected when it became clear the redhead wasn't able to respond.

A tear trickled down Matsuri's face at the same vague answer she'd heard a dozen times already. "Yes, of course. Sorry to have bothered you." She turned to go.

"Matsuri," a pale hand caught her wrist as she was moving away. "Wait."

The young girl whipped her head back towards the readhead who held her in a steel grip. The voice was wrong, the body was wrong, but the way this woman said her name was unmistakable. "Gaara-sensei? Is that really you?" She whispered shakily.

Gaara frowned, but she nodded. "Please don't say anything. Just come to my office first thing tomorrow. I'll explain everything then.

Matsuri nodded dumbly, still trying to reconcile what her eyes were seeing with what her heart was telling her.

"And..." Gaara hesitantly wrapped her arms around her former student, giving the girl ample time to pull away. "Thank you, Matsuri. I really will be fine."

Silent tears rolled down Matsuri's cheeks. She could finally believe it now. Gaara-sensei said it himself, or herself rather. She had questions but they could wait for tomorrow.

The redhead let her go awkwardly, stepping back to take Naruto's hand, "I'll tell the guards to let you in tomorrow. Go home and get some rest."

"Yes, Gaara-sensei." The brown haired girl smiled brightly, "I'll see you tomorrow."

As she sped home, she couldn't help but think how content her sensei had looked holding Naruto's hand.

"Be happy, Sensei." She whispered what she knew she could never say to the face of the person who was her parent, sibling, teacher, and best friend all rolled together. "No one deserves it more than you."

Naruto watched the retreating girl for a few moments. "Are you sure it was a good idea to tell her?"

Gaara nodded firmly, "I can trust Matsuri with my life. She won't say anything."

Naruto's stomach chose that moment to announce it's displeasure at the delay. The blonde clutched his growling midsection with his free hand and blushed lightly.

"Hn," The redhead started walking, pulling Naruto along beside her. "Unless that was the nine-tails awakening, we should hurry to the restaurant."

"Yeah, I guess I'm more hungry than I thought." Naruto laughed and scratched his head. Then his eyes widened, "Wait a second, did you just make a joke?"

A small smirk was all the answer Gaara would give. Naruto cracked up laughing, less because the joke was funny than because Gaara seemed to be having fun and that made him happy.

Gaara led the blonde to a small restaurant near the village gate. Workers were still hauling off carts of debris and carefully shoring up the canyon walls that separated the village from the rest of the desert.

A tall, thin man with brown hair and an odd hat, smiled at them from behind the counter. "Welcome! Take any seat you like. My sister will be with you in just a minute." He told them in a friendly tone. "Lenari-chan, customers!" He practically sang out.

Gaara took them to a booth in the corner.

A few seconds later, a young woman with long, greenish-black hair tied up in pigtails, clattered down the stairs. She glanced around for a moment, before spotting them and walking over to their table. She bowed quickly.

"Welcome. I'm Lenari and I'll be taking care of you today. What would you like?"

Naruto looked at Gaara blankly, realizing he still didn't know what kind of food the place even served.

"If I may order for you..." Gaara suggested.

"Sure, just no salads or anything like that, okay?"

Gaara nodded and then turned her attention back to the smiling waitress. "Two house specials and two bowls of summer soup."

"Coming right up."

When the food arrived, Naruto eyed it warily but Gaara fell upon hers with gusto/ The blonde ninja pick up a piece of the grilled meat from his plate and put it in his mouth. Chewing slowly, he pondered the flavor. The meat was slightly chewy and had a slightly smoky, grilled flavor. It was drizzled with some sort of brown sauce that was sweet and spicy and savory all at the same time. Next he took a small sip of his soup. It was different, cold and sweet and just a little bit tangy. All together it wasn't bad at all.

"Hey, this is pretty good." He exclaimed, picking up the pace of his eating, now that he was certain Gaara hadn't tried to poison him with vegetables. "What is it?"

"Lizard." Gaara pointed to the meat, "And soup made from cacti." She gestured at the bowls. "These are local delicacies and this place does them the best."

Naruto's eyes went wide and he considered spitting out the food he'd just put in his mouth, but the worried look in Gaara's eyes stopped him. Not that anyone else would notice the girl's expression. He idly wondered when he became so adept at reading Gaara's subtle expression changes. He forced the bite down and managed a small smile.

"Sorry, just never ate lizard before."

"I'm sorry. I didn't think." She frowned, "We can go somewhere else..."

"No!" Naruto shook his head quickly and smiled. "This is good, see?" He took a big bite of the lizard meat and smiled. It really did taste fine as long as he didn't think about what he was eating. "I was just a little shocked, that's all. This stuff's really good. Thanks for bringing me here." He continued to eat steadily as he talked. Choji would have been proud.

Gaara hesitantly continued her own meal, "If you're sure..."

By the time the food was gone, the awkward moment had passed. Lenari brought the check and Gaara reached for it. Naruto grabbed it at the same time.

"I've got it, G-uh-Sunako." He said firmly.

"No, you are a guest in my village. Let me." She argued.

"I can't let you pay." Naruto shook his head, blushing.

"Why?" Green eyes narrowed in confusion.

"Because this wouldn't be much of a date if I didn't treat you to lunch." the blush had bloomed all the way to the leaf ninja's ears.

Gaara was so shocked, she let go of the check, allowing Naruto to jump up and pay the bill. He came back smiling happily.

"Okay. Where are you taking me next?" He asked excitedly.

Gaara thought about her favorite places in Sunagakure. She smiled a little as she thought of one place in particular.

"Come on." She said, taking Naruto's hand, an action that was starting to feel very natural.

"Where are we going?" He asked curiously.

"It's a surprise."

She led him to an open area in the middle of the village. The area was covered with...

'Sand?' Naruto thought, bemused. 'Leave it to Gaara to show me sand in the middle of the desert.'

Seeing his puzzled expression, the redhead pointed at a woman coming out of a sidestreet with a small basin of water. "Watch." She said simply.

Naruto watched the woman fling the dirty water out over the sand. What he saw next was one of the prettiest things he had ever seen. Everywhere even a single drop of water landed on the sand, tiny red flowers popped up like magic. The woman smiled at them for just a second before turning to go back the way she came.

"Wow." Naruto breathed, following Gaara as she crossed the scalding sand to kneel next to the patch of flowers. He crouched down next to her, wondering for a second how she could stand to let the burning sand touch her bare knees, but quickly let it go with the explanation of 'She's Gaara.'

"These are sand flowers," Gaara explained quietly. "They can bloom with just a tiny drop of water, even dirty water works. We use them to filter dirty water back into the village supply."

"They're beautiful." Naruto reached out to touch one of the tiny blossoms gently.

Gaara nodded. "They'll wither soon. They only bloom for as long as the water lasts, but while they last they are among the prettiest things you'll find in Suna."

Indeed, Naruto could see that some of the flowers on the edge of the splashed area were already turning brown and they crumbled when he tried to touch them.

"They'll be back when someone throws more water on them." Gaara assured him, seeing the blonde's look of distress. "The roots are still there, even if the flower is gone."

"Yeah." But Naruto wasn't really thinking about the flowers anymore.

"Does it upset you?" Gaara frowned, puzzled. "That they die so quickly?"

Naruto shook his head slowly, "Not exactly." He mumbled.

"Then why do you look so...so..." She scowled, unable to identify the emotion she was seeing.

The leaf ninja sighed. "I was just thinking that...these flowers are more beautiful than any I ever saw before, and I think I know why."

The redhead looked at the flowers, "Why?"

"Because they have to struggle; because they have to live brilliantly, knowing they could disappear at any moment."

Gaara nodded, that made sense.

"But I was also thinking that if someone would just keep watering the flowers, struggling with them, then the flowers might bloom even more beautifully, because someone else cared about them." Naruto was blushing fiercely as his blue eyes met Gaara's wide green ones.

Gaara blushed too as she suddenly got the idea that he wasn't really talking about the flowers anymore.

"You're really pretty in that outfit, Gaara." He whispered as he leaned towards her.

The little voice was back, 'It's just the dress, stupid. Don't get your hopes up.' but his next words blew that theory away.

"But I think you're much prettier when you're able to be yourself." Naruto's face was very close to her own now.

'Is he going to kiss me?' Gaara blushed almost as red as her hair, a feat for someone so pale. She saw him close his eyes and copied the action, unsure what else to do, she sat very still.

SPLASH!! Cool water shocked her into opening her eyes. A stooped old woman was standing nearby with an empty wash tub and a surprised expression. Naruto and Gaara sat dripping in the center of a patch of the tiny red blossoms. Naruto sputtered incoherently.

"Oh dear! I'm so sorry." The old woman bowed deeply, "I wasn't paying attention. I didn't even see you there. Are you two alright?" She fussed and fidgeted around them.

"Fine." Naruto grumbled. "Look. It's okay, lady. Don't worry about it." He forced a smile.

The little old woman bowed a couple more times and finally shuffled off. Naruto turned around to find Gaara with both hands clapped over her mouth and her eyes scrunched tightly shut.

"Oi, what's wrong? Did you swallow some of that soapy water or something?" The leaf shinobi asked in concern.

That's when Gaara burst out laughing for the first time in her memory. Not a dry chuckle or an insane cackle, this was a genuine laugh. She decided it felt kind of nice.

Naruto couldn't help it, he laughed with her. Neither noticed when the little old woman hopped up to join a shadowy figure on a ledge in the nearby alley, and neither heard the shadow whisper to her. "Let's go, Crow. I don't think she needs us here anymore." As he watched his little sister laugh for the first time ever.

"Just...can't...get...a...break...ne, Naruto?" She managed to gasp out when she finally lay exhausted and snickering in the midst of the withering flowers.

"Yeah," Naruto smiled as he flopped down beside her, "but it's better if you have to fight for it."

Gaara blushed and they lay there for a few more minutes as the last of the flowers crumbled to dust around them, until the sand got too hot for Naruto. He stood and reached down to help her to her feet.

"Will you?" She asked as they walked back towards the Kazekage's Tower.

Naruto looked at her quizzically.

"If I remain Kazekage and you become Hokage, it won't be easy to stay together." She explained, not meeting his eyes. "Will you fight for me? Should we fight for this?"

Naruto caught her by the chin and turned her face towards his own. They had just reached the plaza in front of the tower.

"Do you want to?" He asked her, as insecure in that moment as he had ever been.

Gaara froze up, 'Do I want to fight for this feeling? Is it worth it?' She asked herself. 'If the council finds out they'll probably exile me at best.' Still the only answer she could truthfully say was, "Yes." She'd never wanted anything so badly in her life.

"Me too." Naruto grinned in relief.

He leaned towards her slowly and this time Gaara met him halfway.

This time there was no little old lady throwing water. Their lips met and it suddenly didn't matter that they were standing in a dusty Suna alley; that Gaara's wig was still dripping dish water; or that people had stopped to stare at the oddity of two soaking wet teenagers, kissing in the middle of a desert town. None of that mattered, the moment was perfect. The kiss was chaste but lingering and they were both thinking the same thing.

It was much sweeter because they knew they would have to fight for it.

To be continued...

Author's Note: Yay! I hope everyone liked that. I'm afraid they may have gone a bit ooc but people always act weird on a first date. Yeah, that's a good excuse. *grins* I hope it wasn't too bad. This chapter is the reason for the name of the story, as you may have guessed. The flowers are made up for my plot. The next chapter is the last one for this story and it is called: Decisions and Departures. And that is all I'm going to tell you about it. It is partially written and will hopefully be done soon. If you guess the cameo characters you get a virtual cookie! Oh, the sequel is in the works now too. It is growing a plot.