We're the Same

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I know that I haven't updated this one in awhile. I got caught up with some of my other stories. Unless I remove story completely, assume that it's going to be updated eventually. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

Chapter Nine

"Gaara, you know that I care about you. We are brothers. That's why I'm worried about you. I don't want you to get hurt." Kankuro says.

The red head sighs and nods. He knew that Kankuro was just trying to protect him. The Kazekage was in love, but he wasn't stupid. There were going to be many people who would object to his relationship with Suki.

Was that going top him from pursuing her? No. It was not, but he recognized reality. The political implications of such a relationship alone were intimidating to say the least.

"I know that you care about me. That's why you should be happy that I have found someone. I know that Suki is an unconventional choice for a consort, but we are the same. We understand each other in a way that most people don't. Besides, she wants to have children with me. This isn't just some flirtation." He states.

Kankuro blinks. "Besides, she wants to have children with me." He couldn't believe that Gaara had just said that.

Suki fucking Uchiha wanted to be a mommy? The very idea was laughable. He knew that she wanted to restore her Clan, but he couldn't wrap his head around the idea. It was impossible to picture the fearsome ninja rocking a baby in her arms.

"Gaara, I am happy for you. This at least means that you are capable of feeling a romantic attraction towards someone. That's good. That's normal. It's healthy, but unconventional is putting it mildly." He begins.

The Kage sighs. This was going to get very irritating. Logically, he knew that Kankuro was right. But at the moment, logic could be damned.

"Good. I'm glad you are happy for me in the abstract. I hope that someday you will approve of my choice. Either way, this is my decision. Not yours. Not the Sand's. Mine." Gaara says firmly.

In a weird way, that was oddly touching. Gaara wasn't afraid to stand up for her. His brother was wiling to stand up for his lover. Well Kankuro wasn't entirely certain they were actually lovers, but decided to just call her that for simplicity's sake.

Mostly though, it was alarming. Gaara was really going to go through with this. The red head was determined to have some sort of romantic relationship with a former S Class Criminal. He was playing with fire and they both damn well knew it.

"I know Gaara, but please just think about this. I don't doubt that she said that she wants to have children with you. From her perspective, having a child by a Kage is a smart decision. It offers her and her children political protection. I can't blame her for wanting the extra insurance, considering what happened to her family. But this won't end well. You know it won't." The puppet master pleads.

"Well I suppose there is nothing more to say. We have both expressed our thoughts on the matter rather clearly." The Kazekage replies.

Damn it. This wasn't going the way he had hoped. He was going to need to speak with Suki. Maybe she would at least see reason.

"I guess not. You know that I'm only saying this because I worry about you, right?" He asks.

"I know that. That's why I didn't Sand Coffin you. You are my brother and I love you, but I also love her. I never thought that I'd actually say that. I didn't think that it was possible for me to feel this way about someone, but I do." The youngest Sand Sibling states.

Kankuro sighs. Fuck. How was he supposed to argue with that declaration, without feeling like a complete jerk? His brother actually thought he was in love with Suki. This was spiraling out of control and rapidly.

"Well if you ever want to talk, you know where you can find me." He says and heads off.

Gaara smacks his forehead. He leaves the room and goes to find Suki. Luckily, her chakra signature was rather distinctive and he was able to find her easily enough. She was back in her apartment. He heads inside.

Her door was locked. Really that was more for show than anything. A locked door wouldn't keep any ninja worth their salt out. He forms a key out of his sand and open it.

"That was faster than expected. So did he convince you to break up with me?" Suki asks.

"It would take a lot more than that for me to leave you. We discussed things. I know that he isn't particularly pleased with me at the moment, but that can't be helped." The red head says and walks over to her.

She smiles and wraps her arms around him. If Kankuro wasn't happy with how the talk went, that could only be good for her. She couldn't believe that Gaara wanted to be with her enough to argue with his own brother about the matter.

"I doubt that he'll be the only one to raise objections." She whispers.

"That's likely true, but there's nothing we can about it. Are you certain that you still want to be with me? Things are slowly starting to settle for you in the Leaf. This will unsettle them." The Kazekage says.

She nods. Suki brushes her lips against Gaara's. She didn't mind the chaos that came from being with him. The last Uchiha was more worried about the type of chaos he would have to endure because he chose to be with her.

The red head kisses back happily. It was easy to forget everything when she was this close. Her very presence was memorizing. It was as if the outside world just ceased to exist in moments like this.

"If I wanted a settled life, I wouldn't have become a ninja. If you still want me, I can write Naruto. He could arrange the transfer." She says.

"You'd really be willing to transfer just like that?" He asks.

Suki nods. Other than Naruto and her Clan's burial grounds, there was nothing to tie her to the Leaf Village. It would be safe in Naruto's hands. Itachi could rest easily with that knowledge.

"Naruto can always visit or write me whenever he wants. There's not much left for me in that village. I like it here better, with you." She admits.

"Alright. We'll have to get in contact with him and at some point make the official announcement. The villagers are going to think I'm mad. They heard about the bar incident and thought we were already lovers. So I had to speak to them about that." The red head confesses.

Suki blinks. No wonder everyone had looked at her that way when she arrived. Half of them probably had thought she was already sharing Gaara's bed. Well she supposed it didn't matter now.

"Is there anything else that I should know about?" She asks.

"I find the idea of stockings on a woman rather erotic?" The Kazekage inquires cautiously.

Suki shakes her head in amusement at that confession. Well she could indulge that kink. It was rather harmless. Besides, she had a Clan to restore and if that made him more open to the idea, why not?

"I can work with that. I'll start on a letter right now." She says with a smile and Gaara nods in agreement.

A few days later, Naruto blinks. He had received two letters. One was from Gaara and the other was from Suki. He nervously opens them. He starts with Gaara's.

Dear Naruto,

Suki would like to transfer to the Sand Village as soon as possible. She is happier here. You of course are always welcome to come and visit her anytime you like. I really think that this will provide her with a chance to start over. Please consider approving the request.

Your Friend, Gaara.

Naruto blinks. Suki wanted to transfer to the Sand Village and Gaara was okay with that. He knew that they were getting along well, but this was far more than he expected.

The blonde shakes his head. He was curious to see what Suki's take on things would be. Gaara had always been more…polite than the feisty Uchiha. He cautiously opens her letter.

Dear Loser,

Gaara has agreed to approve my transfer to the Sand Village, if you do. I like it here. I just don't fit in the Leaf anymore. It's hard to start over when everywhere I look, I'm constantly reminded of the past.

Don't give me the kicked puppy look. I'm not going to deal with any waterworks. You can still come and visit me whenever you like and this way, I'm less likely to go on a rampage. You know how annoying our fellow Leaf Villagers can get.

Suki.

"Yeah. That sounds like her alright." Naruto says with a laugh.

He frowns. The blonde would miss her. Suki was like a sister to him, but he couldn't argue with the logic. No matter how much he wanted to deny it, at least half of the village would never give the last Uchiha a real chance to redeem herself.

With a large sigh, he takes out the transfer papers. Suki was his friend. Her happiness came first. He'd deal with the fall out for approving the transfer later.

"Yeah, this isn't going to be fun." He mutters to himself as he stamps. APPROVED on the transfer request.

Love was more important than political inconvenience. The boisterous ninja knew that he was going to be dealing with one big political headache soon. Once word got out that he had transferred Suki, all Hell would break loose. Still he didn't care. He wanted his friends to be happy and it looked like they had found their happiness with each other.

He knew that Gaara protested too much. The blonde didn't think either of them were lying in their letters, but they weren't telling the whole truth either. Clearly, something big had happened. Maybe they were officially together now?

"Hopefully, they know what they are doing." He whispers to himself.

He looks around his office until he came upon an old photo of Team Seven. He laughs when he saw it. Suki and him were glaring at each other. It was a shame really.

Suki had only glimpses of a "normal" childhood while on Team Seven. Well as normal as ninja childhoods could get anyway. The last Uchiha had never even had a crush before, as far as he could tell. Things apparently had changed and quickly though.

"I wonder how that works? Suki is so bossy, but Gaara is the Kazekage. He's used to being in charge. I bet they fight over everything, even where they want to eat." He muses to himself.

Elsewhere in the Leaf, Sakura gets called in by the Council. The pink haired woman blinks as she walks inside. She had no idea what they could possibly want from her.

"Ah thank you for coming." One of the council members greets her.

"You're welcome. I am confused. What is it that you needed to talk to me about?" The medic asks, deciding it was best to cut straight to the point.

The councilmen and councilwoman look at each other uncomfortably. That was Sakura's first real clue that something serious was going on. Something sketchy most likely.

"We are aware that you were Suki Uchiha's teammate on Team Seven. Thus we believe you have a relatively close relationship with her. Is this assumption correct?" The councilwoman asks.

"Yeah. I guess so. Well as close as she lets anyone who isn't Naruto near her." Sakura replies with a shrug.

"Good. As you are aware, she has been assigned to a mission in the Sand Village. There have been certain rumors regarding her relationship with the Kazekage. We have reason to believe that they might be involved in a romantic relationship. Do you know anything that would confirm or disprove this?" She continues.

Sakura blinks. That was the last thing that she expected. The Council was meddling with Suki's love life. Oh this wouldn't end well.

"Those were just rumors. I wouldn't put much stock in them. Even if they were true, I fail to see why that would concern you. She's proven herself to be a loyal ninja for the Leaf Village since her return." The medic replies coldly.

The Council sigh. Sakura could almost hear what was going on in their heads. They thought she was going to be a difficult child. Too bad. She wasn't going to betray her teammate by giving them away personal information like that. It was none of their business.

"Sakura, you are a medic. I'm certain that you realize the Sharingan is genetic. Suki is the last Uchiha. That means that any relationship she is involved with, involves our village's security. This is especially true when it comes to her getting involved with a Kage!" A councilman exclaims.

"It's still none of your business. This is Suki's life you are talking about. What do you expect her to seek your approval before beginning any romantic relationship?! That's insane." Sakura growls at them.

The Council look at each other. This was not going the way they had hoped. Sakura was a medic. She was supposed to be reasonable. Oh well. It was time to explain how things really were to her.

"What do you think will happen if she involves herself with the Kazekage and it ends badly? Do you not think that will sour relations between the Leaf and Sand? What if their relationship goes well and they have a child? The Sand would have an equally strong claim to such a child. The future of the Uchiha Clan and thus possibly control over one of our strongest bloodlines will be partially in their hands!" They shout at her.

"I understand your concern, but she's her own person. She's not your slave or your incubator. I'm leaving. I'm not going to listen to this. I hope for your sake that Naruto doesn't find out what you have been talking about behind closed doors." She snarls at them and heads off.

Meanwhile back in the Sand, Gaara smiles as he watches Suki head out of the Academy. One of the students said something to her. A small girl. Gaara figured she had only enrolled that year.

It didn't take a genius to realize what the young student had asked the Uchiha. Suki drops to one knee and suddenly her Sharingan activates. Clearly, the kid had wanted to see it.

"PRETTY!" The girl exclaims and Suki smiles.

He found himself biting back a laugh. The Academy students looked so awestruck. He supposed he understood on some level. He had first faced it during the Chunin exams. He had associated it with battle at first. So he hadn't really appreciated it much from an atheistically perspective.

"Yes, it is. Suki, do you have your report ready?" Gaara agrees as he walks over to them.

"Mhm. I'll see you all tomorrow." The raven haired ninja says and heads off with Gaara.

Soon enough they arrive back in his office. Gaara uses his sand to lock the door behind them. He quickly pushes her against the wall and kisses her.

The red head smiles when he felt her hands wrap around his neck. The Uchiha kisses back and runs her fingers through his hair. He felt himself almost purring in response.

"Mmm I have to admit, filing reports has never been more enjoyable." She whispers after breaking the kiss.

"I feel the same way. In all seriousness, how did it go at the Academy?" The Kazekage asks.

"Well enough. I think the kids are getting used to me. The instructors seem moderately less terrified of me. So I guess that's progress." She muses.

It was the truth. Maybe people were starting to get used to her. The Sand Village was a more…practical lot than the Leaf. More or less, they seemed to be operating under one assumption. If their Kazekage wasn't concerned about her presence, then she wasn't a threat.

They weren't stupid though. There was still an underlying weariness to most of the adults. She couldn't blame them for that. It was just smart not to let your guard down when you were dealing with a powerful ninja.

"That's good news, but I was speaking more about the curriculum." He chides her gently.

"Oh. The actual lessons are fine. Once you get them separated by age, they'll be much more appropriate." Suki replies and Gaara nods.

Gaara nods. That was good news. At least their Academy was mostly modern. They just had to get more instructors.

He couldn't help but think about her with that kid. The red head tries to imagine what their child would be like. Would it be a girl or a boy? What features of his, if any, would they get? Would they be able to use the Sand? Perhaps they would be more like Suki when it came to their abilities.

"Gaara, you are thinking rather loudly. What's on your mind?" She asks.

"A lot of things. Though I think it might be too early to mention them. I was just…speculating." He says evasively.

Suki raises an eyebrow. Oh he thought he was going to dodge? No. That wasn't going to happen. If she had to fight dirty, she would.

"Mmm well you can speculate with me." She says and nibbles on his ear.

Gaara shivers. The feeling of her teeth against her skin in a light bite was highly erotic to him. He didn't know why this was the case. It just was. It was a fact that Suki didn't hesitate to exploit.

"Suki, that's not fair and you know it." He groans.

"Mmm I'm a ninja. If you want someone who cares about fair, you should have chosen a civilian. Are you going to tell me now?" She asks.

He shakes his head. No. It probably wasn't a good idea to tell her yet. It was rather presumptuous. She wanted children, but he doubted that she was planning on having them that soon. Her transfer hadn't even been process yet (and that was assuming that Naruto didn't fight them on it.)

"That's true. Still I think that this is a topic would be better for us to discuss later on." He insists.

The Uchiha looks at him intently. Yes, Gaara was going to be difficult. Alright. She didn't mind fighting dirty, if she had to.

She pushes him onto his desk and straddles his waist. The shocked look that he gave her was absolutely priceless. Idly, she wishes she had a camera on her. That was a moment that should be captured.

"Mmm Gaara, just tell me. We both know you are going to eventually. You don't have to play so hard to get. Not when I can make you hard in another, far more enjoyable way." She purrs seductively at him.
The Kazekage swallows hard. Damn. That really should be illegal. Her voice should be classified as a Forbidden Jutsu when she used it like that. How the was he supposed to resist that?!

"Alright. It was just that I was thinking about what you said earlier." He begins hesitantly.

"What I said about what?" The Uchiha continues as she places soft kisses along his neck.

She smirks when she felt him shiver. Gaara was extremely sensitive to touch. It was a little quirk that she greatly enjoyed using to her advantage.

"About us having children. When I saw you with the Academy students, I couldn't help but ponder the matter further." He admits.

That stops Suki's playful mood. Gaara almost immediately regretted mentioning it. The last Uchiha seemed almost afraid of his answer.

"And what did you decide?" She asks.

"I didn't decide anything. Mostly I was musing on things such as gender, physical appearance, and abilities." He tells her.

"So you aren't…having second thoughts?" The raven haired ninja inquires nervously and Gaara shakes his head.

He caresses her cheek. It sweet really. He never thought that anyone would see him as a lover, let alone as a potential father for their children. She was terrified that he'd say no.

"No. I'm not having second thoughts. I'm still rather shocked that you would want me to father your children, but it's not that I don't want to." The red head tries to reassure her.

Suki relaxes a bit. She lets out a quiet sigh of relief and leans into his touch. Gaara wasn't saying no. He was actually seriously thinking about it. Thinking about it seriously enough to wonder if they'd have boys, girls, or both. That was a good sign.

"Our children." She corrects him and Gaara smiles.

"Yes, ours. Though I imagine things would go much more smoothly, if your transfer is approved before we start seriously trying to have a family. That and we'll have to make our involvement public." The Kazekage points out.

The other ninja nods in agreement. He had a point. It'd be better if she was officially a Sand Villager, before they had a family.

"That's true. I love you." She says and snuggles into his arms.

"I love you too." The Kage replies and holds her closely, running his hands up and down the length of her back in a gentle caress.

That's when the door opened. It was Baki. Baki coughs to get their attention and the young couple blushes.

"I didn't realize that you had company, Lord Kazekage. I just wanted to inform you that your mail had arrived." He says and awkwardly hands him the letter.

"It's alright. Thank you, Baki. Is that all?" Gaara asks and Suki was idly impressed by how composed he was considering that Baki had caught them red-handed.

"Yes, that's everything." He says and to his credit leaves, without questioning them.

Suki sighs in relief. That never would have happened in the Leaf. They would have faced an immediate interrogation. Thankfully, Sand Villagers tended to respect your privacy more than Leaf Villagers.

"It's from Naruto." Gaara informs her and opens the letter quickly.

Dear Gaara,

Hey, can you share this with Suki? It just seems easier to send one letter rather than two. You were both asking basically the same thing. Though you did ask it much more nicely than the Ice Princess.

Anyway, I thought about it. I'll approve the transfer. I'll get some flack for it. But I'd rather have her be happy in the Sand, than sad in the Leaf. So I approved it. You just need to finish processing it.

Oh and Suki, you better not give Gaara a hard time. He's putting a lot on the line for you. You better be nice!

Love, Naruto.

"Well that was easier than expected." Suki says with a smile.

"Yes. Thankfully, he's a good friend. He cares more about your happiness than the political repercussions of indulging us." The red head says and Suki nods in agreement.

She didn't know what she would have done, if he had said no. Suki probably would have gone back to the Leaf and had to fight him. It wasn't a thought that she relished, but she would have done it. Thankfully, Naruto was going to approve the transfer. Now she and Gaara could officially be together.