"Just ask her Gaara." Naruto told him.

"When was the last time I ever asked for anything?" Gaara retorted.

"Um…" Naruto thought for a moment.

"Naruto's right Gaara. You gotta ask, Sakura's not going to let you get off easy." Kankuro said agreeing with Naruto.

"How would you know."

"Gaara, it's a girl thing. They don't like it when guys assume stuff, and she's not a prostitute or something you can't just demand it. That will get you slapped." Kankuro explained. "Just trust me Gaara, I know from experience. I bet Sakura wouldn't just stop at a slap either."

"Why would I slap someone?" Sakura questioned having heard Kankuro's last statement.

"Um…" Kankuro started trying to think of an excuse. "Ask Gaara." Kankuro said pushing Gaara to her, only to have Gaara glare at him.

"So?" Sakura questioned getting Gaara to turn to her. He didn't say anything, just dragged her to the ship's cabin. "Gaara what the—

Sakura was cut off by his lips crashing against hers. This kiss was different from any kiss she had gotten from him. It wasn't as rough but still full of the same passion she always felt. It was almost as if he was being…gentle with her? When they pulled apart she looked at him confused.

"Gaara?" Sakura questioned. He was just staring at her, seeming to be having an inner struggle with what he wanted to say. He took her hands in his and his body relaxed at the contact. Now how was he supposed to word this with out it sounding demanding?

"Sakura." He started locking eyes with her. "Will you…" Gaara broke eye contact not being able to say it. He couldn't, he knew he would sound stupid. It just wasn't him. He let her go and stood with one arm holding him up against the wall, his head down. Was he about to ask me? Sakura questioned in her head. She walked to him putting a hand on his shoulder turning him to face her only to encase him in a hug. Gaara was shocked to say the least, not that he didn't enjoy the contact because he did. He slowly wrapped his arms around her returning the embrace.

"Thank you Gaara." Sakura told him her head buried into his chest.

"For what?" He questioned. He honestly didn't know what sparked this.

"For trying. I'm pretty sure I know what you were trying to say." Sakura told him and he pulled her away to look at her but not letting her go.

"And what would that be?" Gaara questioned, already returning to his smug self.

"You want me to be your girlfriend." Sakura said simply smirking at him.

"Really?" Gaara said giving her a smirk of his own.

"Yup." Sakura told him confidently. "What else would you be trying to ask. The Gaara I know doesn't ask he demands."

"Is that what you want?" He whispered to her. Sakura shook her head.

"No." She said. "I want to be yours."

Gaara couldn't believe his ears. He never had to ask and she knew what he wanted. But the part that amazed him was that she said yes. He has never made a commitment to anyone before her, he really just used women for sex. But Sakura was different. He spent so much time chasing her down, he finally could relish in the fact that she couldn't be with anyone else but him.

The more he thought about that the more he liked it. Gaara wasn't one to share things important to him and Sakura had unknowingly become one of those things after becoming a captive on his ship. She got under his skin but he didn't care, she was his now.

"Good." Gaara said before he engaged her into another kiss.

Sakura sighed in content as she woke up cuddled next to her captain. She smiled watching him sleep. He was so calm when he slept. Black rimmed eyes opened to reveal a beautiful jade color staring right into her own emerald.

"Morning love." Sakura greeted only to get a grunt in response. "I see why you never slept, you are definitely not a morning person."

"Oh, as I recall I didn't have the right 'ingredients' for sleep." Gaara mocked.

"Haha it was not my best explanation, but I was right." Sakura retorted turning away from him to pout. Gaara just wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her to his chest and resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Aye, you were."

"Of course I was, now if you shall excuse me I have to get ready." Sakura told him, getting out of his hold and getting dressed before leaving. Gaara sighed and followed suit. Now that he could sleep he wanted to all the time. But of course he only couldn't sleep for more than a few hours without Sakura, which wasn't worth it. That and he had a ship to run.

Meanwhile Sakura was eating an apple sitting with the girls as they waited for today's duties. They talked and Sakura just listened but mainly thought.

"Hmm." Sakura sighed an idea hitting her.

"What are you thinking?" Tenten asked with a smirk. She knew Sakura was scheming.

"I'm thinking I'm going to figure out what's so great about this treasure." Sakura said getting up and looking for Gaara.

"You think she'll tell us if she finds out?" Ino questioned watching her leave and the girls just shrugged.

When Sakura found Gaara he was at the helm steering the ship casually but Sakura could tell he was frustrated. He looked at his compass and frowned before closing it and reopening it, not getting good results. Sakura walked up to him causing him to look up.

"What's wrong Captain? Don't know what you want?" Sakura teased. Gaara however, did not looked pleased.

"What do you want." He demanded, not in a good mood.

"I can't talk to you anymore?" Sakura questioned.

"Why did you all of the sudden want to be with me last night? What happened to hating me?" He questioned angrily taking his frustration out on her. Sakura took it all in stride though not paying attention to his anger.

"Well I had time to think…" Sakura trailed off not looking at him but instead looking at the vast ocean. "I didn't really believe you about the key, but then everyone started talking about your normal behavior and I realized if the key was more important you would've done something."

"Oh? Like what."

"I don't know. I guess you would've been angrier, like…" Sakura trailed off not having to finished for Gaara to know. He nodded at her, having calmed down just having her talk to him. "You need any help? You don't seem to be having much luck with that compass."

"How do I know you won't steer me wrong?"

"Well you should have thought of that when you had the coordinates of this island." Sakura told him and Gaara chuckled.

"I guess your right." He agreed.

"Why are we still heading there if the key is lost? What's so valuable about this treasure?" Sakura questioned.

"It's not the treasure, its everything I-no we, the crew have put into to get it. The journey is the most satisfying when you reach the end." Gaara told her.

"I suppose your right." Sakura said "But without the key how do you plan to unlock the chest?"

"You can break into homes without a key right?"

"Yeah..."

"Well I plan to break into it without the key."

"Oh." Sakura said, Or you could use my key…Sakura added in her head. She just couldn't find it in her to tell him. Then she saw Gaara look at his compass again only to close it with a sigh. He knew that he was going in the general right direction, but if he steered to far one way he would miss the island. Sakura snatched the compass right out of his hand watching as the arrow moved before stopping. "Isle de Muerte right?"

"Yeah…" Gaara said as she put the compass in his sight showing him the way to go. He smirked and changed direction a bit. He was so close, but he knew it was farther from his reach without the key then it seemed. It wouldn't be long now.

It wasn't for a whole month until they reached the island. During the journey Sakura couldn't have been happier. She finally had her family. But she had also kept her secret of the key which she kinda regretted waiting so long. She trusted them but she practically forgot about it. Every time she was going to tell someone they brought up something else and it would be re-put on the back burner of her mind.

Everyone was piling into a dingy to get to the island. Sakura had quickly gotten her key saying she needed rum. So here she was on a dingy with the rest of her crew as they rowed to the Isle de Muerte.

"I still don't understand how we are going to get anything. The key is gone." Naruto said starting a conversation.

"I'm going to get the treasure." Was all Gaara said and since Naruto was sitting next to Sakura he leaned into her to whisper in her ear.

"I know he is going to get the treasure, but he never said how." Naruto pouted and Sakura giggled causing Gaara to glare at the duo.

"Its Gaara, Naruto. He always gets what he wants." Sakura told him aloud getting another death glare from Gaara and chuckles from around the boat. Although she had a pretty good idea on how. Then she looked around her, gold in the piles all around her even in the shallow water. Well no one mentioned there would be so much treasure. Then people got out of the boat and Sakura followed suit. Shikamaru sleeping like usual as his way of watching the boat. Sakura looked ahead of her to see mounds of treasure and a very secure looking chest sitting at the top of one of the biggest mounds. "You plan to get passed that, without a key?" Sakura questioned Gaara to see if he was still sane. She didn't know the chest looked like that!

"Yes." Was his simple reply.

"Right, just making sure." Then turned to Naruto. "He's insane."

Sakura watched as Gaara studied the chest, her hand going to her little pouch that held the key. If there was ever a time to tell him it would be now, but she was kind of curious as how he would go about opening it. No, he'll be pissed if I wait that long, Sakura thought and she heard a bang. She looked up to see Gaara attempting to shoot the lock of. It didn't work, the lock didn't look affected at all. She started walking over to him to see him shoot it more, still the lock didn't change. Gaara let out a growl and Sakura dared to put a hand on his shoulder. He quickly turned and pointed his gun at her, before lowering it realizing who it was.

"Gaara. I have an idea." Sakura told him.

"Which is?"

"Well please don't get angry when I tell you this but…" Sakura trailed off looking to the side. Gaara brought his hand to her cheek and made her look at him.

"I won't get angry." He said, seemingly calmer.

"Well, alright." Sakura said gaining the confidence to dig in her pouch. "I have the key." She said getting gasps from around the cave.

"What? Sakura its gone."

"Um. No, its right here." Sakura told him holding up a key that was larger than the one that sank. "The other key was Kakashi's house key, I kept it around my neck so I wouldn't lose it…"

"What." Gaara ground out his teeth grinding together. Anger rolling off him in waves.

"You said you wouldn't get angry." Sakura quickly reminded him before he blew his top, she knew this would happen. "I was going to tell you before you started shooting the lock—

"Which didn't do anything by the way." Naruto added in and Sakura turned to glare at him.

"Not helping." She hissed. Gaara was obviously trying to calm down but couldn't so Sakura stuck the key in the lock and turned it hearing the click and lifted the top of the chest off.. Right away you could see precious gold pieces. She turned Gaara towards it hoping it would calm him down. It did and he walked toward it, putting his hand on the gold as if to make sure it was real. Everyone was looking around at the treasure, Sakura going to this other chest she found, curious of its contents.

"Well and here I thought you said you didn't have the key, Captain Gaara." Itachi said joining him was his crew. "Thank you very much for helping us get this treasure. We couldn't of done it without you."

"Oh shut up you sick bastard." Sakura shouted irritated at him after returning with a few medallions for herself. Akatsuki were really annoying.

"Well 'ello poppet." Someone said coming up behind her with a sword to her neck.

"Let her go Sasori." Gaara growled.

"I don't think I will." Sasori said holding on tighter to her. "Leave it to you to not share something so fine, cousin."

"Cousin?" Sakura questioned not fazed by the sword at her neck. Let's just say she was used to it.

"Unfortunately he is our cousin, he's the reason we are wanted in Konoha." Kankuro explained and Sakura nodded, kinda.

"Tie up the crew, and take the girl." Itachi ordered.

"My pleasure." Sasori whispered to Sakura.

"You think this is wise?" Sakura questioned.

"Oh, what are you going to do?" Sasori asked pushing the blade further into her throat cutting the skin as a small bead of blood rolled down her neck.

"I'm a captive remember. I was just asking, I wasn't going to do anything stupid."

"Good girl."

"Don't call me that."

"What shall I call you, poppet?"

"That's something you don't need to know." Sakura said leaning back into his chest getting him to smirk. She then stomped on his foot getting him to lose hold of her being sure to dodge the blade as Sakura kicked it out of his hand before pointing it at him. Then to make sure he stayed down she kicked him in the family jewels and watched as he crumpled to the ground swearing. "That's for the cut on the neck. You hurt me I hurt you we're square."

"You'll pay." Sasori ground out through the pain. Sakura shrugged before heading to her crew, but her way was blocked by the rest of the Akatsuki all pointing swords at her. She looked towards the crew seeing Shikamaru awake and untying them before turning back to the Akatsuki.

"I suggest you surrender."

"One question first. How did you catch up to your ship?"

"Oh we didn't, we stole one from Suna, yeah." Deidara replied only to get smacked in the back of the head.

"You idiot you weren't supposed to tell her!" Kisame said.

"Uh huh." Sakura said looking to see almost all her crew untied. But she didn't see Gaara. "So what do you plan to do with Captain Gaara?" She asked and Kisame put a hand over Diedara's mouth. Sakura frowned but then saw one of the crew raising their hand in the back jumping up and down. He was wearing an orange mask with a swirl on it.

"Tobi knows! Tobi knows!" He cried getting everyone's attention. His crew tried to get to him but he ran away from them.

"Alright Tobi can you tell me?"

"They tell Tobi that they're going to kill Captian Gaara after making him walk the plank." He got out before he was tackled. Tobi struggled to get up. "Tobi's a good boy! He helped the pretty pink haired lady!" Sakura laughed, he was cute. Sakura was about to leave while the crew was distracted with Tobi when she was grabbed from behind again.

"Oh your not getting away poppet." Came Sasori's voice and Sakura scowled. Her crew left to get Gaara and the Akatsuki were headed to the Black Pearl to lock Tobi up. He was pretty strong for acting like such a kid.

"I knew I should've kicked twice." Sakura muttered cursing her bad luck.

"Let's just see how far Gaara will go for you."