i find that the more i'm supposed to study for my final on monday, the more inspired i am to write...
hmmm, coincidence? i think NOT!
so here's a new chapter...
BlackKanji, i put some shukaku-ness in here for you! plus a little surprise near the end... ;-)
and for all of those who want to see more gaasaku-ness...it definitely kicks into high gear from here on out!
:-)
so enjoy!

I told Tsunade to meet me outside of Konoha's gates, alone.
Konoha was informed that a new Kazekage had finally been appointed, but they were never told who it was.
Not wanting to cause mass hysteria when I entered the gates, I decided that wearing the hat with the robes would be acceptable this one time since it covered my face and no one would be able to tell it was me until I wanted them to know.

I went alone to Konoha, and I expected Tsunade to be alone waiting for me as well, since that was the condition I had made.

As I neared the village, I saw the blonde woman standing impatiently outside of the gates with her arms crossed and her foot tapping on the dirt path.

She was agitated.

As I neared her, she uncrossed her arms and took a deep breath.
I could tell that she was about to yell at me about the conditions that I had made, after all, it was unheard of to meet in such a manner.
In order to stop her speech before she even started it, I made a quick scan of the area to make sure she was completely alone, which she was; then I removed my hat.

Tsunade's face went from agitated to surprised to smug.

Crossing her arms in front of her once again she said, "I had a whole speech meant to berate the new Kazekage on the conditions he set up for this meeting. But now that I see who the new Kage is, I wouldn't expect anything less from you."

"Hokage-sama" I said as I bowed to her.

"Oh please, there's no need for such formality between the two of us…call me Tsunade."

"Only if you call me Gaara…I hate being called Kazekage-sama…it's just too…"

"Formal." Tsunade finished for me.

I nodded in agreement.

"You're doing well then Gaara?" she asked me.

I nodded once again.

"Does Sakura know about…this?" she asked as she motioned towards the robes I was wearing.

"No. I figured I would tell her while I'm here."

"Then you had better put your hat on while we walk to my office…the whole town is wondering who the new Kazekage is; and believe me, you don't want Sakura to find out through someone else…"

I nodded in agreement once again as I placed the hat back on top of my head.

"Shall we?" Tsunade said as she motioned to the gates.

I walked up next to her and together we entered into Konoha.

Everyone seemed to be alongside the streets straining to get a glimpse at me.
Their curiosity amused me.
Pink flashed in my peripheral vision, and I forced myself not to look…for I knew that any kind of recognition towards Sakura would give me away…but avoiding her presence was so hard all of a sudden.
I felt as something snapped inside of me and warmth spread through my entire being just at the thought that she could be nearby...
My insides jumped and clawed at me, begging me to look over at the girl…but having great self-control, I kept my eyes trained ahead of me as Tsunade's office got closer and closer.

Once inside of the her office and I heard the door shut behind us, I flung the wretched hat onto a chair in the corner of the room.

I heard Tsunade chuckle at me, "You don't like the hat either, huh?"

"Do you?"

"I…uh…'lost' mine." she winked at me.

"Hn. Maybe I'll 'lose' mine too." I said.

That made Tsunade laugh once again, "I see you've grown." she said as she walked towards me.
Putting a hand on the top of my head and looking down on me she added, "more in spirit then physically I see…"

I gave her a glare as she cracked open the door and asked one of the guards outside of it to fetch Sakura.

"You might want to put the hat back on…it'll be more fun that way." she said as she winked at me.

"I can do one better." I said as I transported myself onto the roof outside of Tsunade's office.

After a few minutes, I heard a knock on the door, and I heard Tsunade tell Sakura to enter.

"Yes Tsunade-sama?" Sakura asked.

Hearing her voice once again sent chills down my spine and my skin itched to feel hers once again.

"I have some news for you…it concerns Gaara."

"What about him?" Sakura asked.

"Something has happened…"

"What?! What happened?! Is everything okay?" Sakura asked frantically.

I couldn't take it anymore…she was worried about me, I had to show her that I was okay.
I had to comfort her.
I had to feel her skin against mine.
I had to inhale her.
I suddenly wanted her to invade every sense I had…

As I transported myself into the room behind her, I slipped my arms around her waist and pulled her to me.
When she was secured against me, I whispered, "I'm now the Kazekage."

I felt her tense and then relax against me and then tense once again at my words.
She spun around to look at me, her eyes wide with surprise.
She reached out and touched my face with her fingertips.

"You're really here…" she said as she played with my hair once again.

Her fingers twisted and stroked my hair and I tried to remember why I use to hate it when she did that…

Her hand moved down to my robes and gently stroked the material.

"You're…it's…"

I grabbed her hand and held it in mine, "All thanks to you…"

Tsunade cleared her throat and it broke us out of the spell that we were both engrossed in.

Remembering my surroundings and the reason why I was here, I turned my attention to Tsunade and said, "I believe we have some business to attend to."

"If you like, we can do it later…you two can catch up. After all, it has been a long time since you've last seen each other."

"No. What I'm here for cannot wait." I turned to Sakura then and said, "I'll find you when we are done."

It hurt to tell her that, all I wanted to do was stay with her and hear her voice re-tell me everything that her letters had told me…but I'm the Kazekage, my village comes first before everything; and she needed to know that.
She flashed me a small smile and nodded at me. Then she exited the room.

I heard Tsunade sigh as she said, "So what's so urgent Gaara?"

I turned to look at her grimly.

Tsunade sighed again, "It looks like I'll be drinking later than usual tonight…"

"Tsunade, you and I both know that ever since the Chuunin exams and our attempt to destroy Konoha, our alliance has been shaky at best. What I'm proposing is a plan to strengthen this alliance."

"Alright Gaara, you've got my attention. Go on." Tsunade said as she leaned back in her chair crossing her arms.

"What I'm proposing is an agreement that will not only strengthen one of your allies but will also give you more power over it then you've ever had before…"

"Why do such a thing? Wouldn't that put your village at risk?"

"Because I know it's the only way that you will agree to such an offer. Also, if you break your word, it will not destroy Suna, it will just make life more difficult…which is something that we overcome everyday." I smirked at this.

"What are you proposing?"

"I propose that Konoha aids in supplying Suna with food and water. Our crops have failed and the rainy season hasn't come yet. We are entering into possibly one of the worst droughts and famines our village has ever seen…we need help, otherwise Suna will perish. We cannot survive without your aid…
I know that Konoha has an infinite supply of water and a hefty supply of food that risks going bad almost every week. Give us your extra food, give us your extra water…and in return I promise you our aid in whatever problem you ever face without question or pause, all you would need to do is request it. And we both know how much more efficient my shinobi are at killing then yours are…"

Tsunade leaned forward onto her desk and said, "Your father never asked for such a thing. Going over the documents of the Third that have been filed away, he offered your father on more then one occasion for such aid, all of which your father declined. And now you're here asking for it...why is that?"

"My father was a proud man, he would have rather seen his village suffer then to accept aid from another village. It was his pride that brought about his downfall. I, however, am not so proud. I will do anything necessary in order to secure the safety and wellbeing of my village; even if that means whoring out our services as shinobi."

"You're a born natural at this Gaara…" Tsunade said.

I stared at her intently as I waited for her decision.
Silence filled the room as Tsunade rolled the idea around in her head thinking of any downfalls to such an offer.

"I agree." She finally said.

I tried not to show my surprise.
I had just won my first proposal without a long drawn-out meeting.
My people would no longer be hungry or thirsty.
My village would thrive thanks to Tsunade's aid, and I was one step closer to bettering Suna.

Bowing steeply I said, "Thank you, Hokage Tsunade-sama…you do not realize what you have just done…"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…" she said waving away my thanks.

"Let's go celebrate our strengthened alliance with a drink!"

I smirked at the woman and nodded.

At the bar, Tsunade sucked down her alcohol as I sipped at my water.

"I remember when I first saw you in that hospital room…" Tsunade reminisced. "There was blood everywhere and I thought you were dead. It seemed that no matter how hard I tried to get the bleeding to stop, it just found another place to come out of…when I told your siblings there was nothing I could do for you, they told me that that was unacceptable.
They had that cold hard look of determination that forever haunts your eyes…and I knew that you would make it. I didn't know how, but I knew that you would live. And now look at you. The Kazekage…who would have thought…" and with that she sucked down another glass of sake.
"Listen to me talk…you don't even want to be here. Go on, get out of here…Sakura is waiting for you."

I looked at Tsunade questionably…she had just read my mind.

She smiled at me then. "What are you still doing here? Go on…but before you leave Konoha, come see me and we'll discuss how our new agreement can be arranged so that Suna is receiving food and water immediately."

I nodded at her again.

"Thank you Tsunade." I said once again and then walked away from the bar as she ordered another drink.

There was no need for me to search for Sakura, I knew where she would be at: the field.
The place where this whole thing started.
The place where my changing began.
The place we always seemed to migrate to even when we didn't want to…

I found her sitting underneath the tree that I had once attempted to rip out of the ground.
She was leaning against it and staring up at the sky.
The sun had set a long time ago and the stars were shining above us…

I stared at her silently since she was still unaware of my presence.
She was prettier then from what I remembered…she seemed to have matured in the time that I hadn't seen her.

"The stars are better in Suna…" I said as I revealed my presence to her.

She looked at me and smiled, "So I've heard…I was told that once by a redheaded boy in this same exact spot…"

"And what happened to that redheaded boy?" I asked her as I sat down next to her.

"He left and became a man…" she said as her smile softened. "You took off your robes…"

I nodded, "I don't like to wear them, they bring back too many bad memories."

"They look good on you though." she said as she nudged me with her shoulder.

I went to say something to her in response, but I found that as soon as I looked at her I couldn't take my eyes off of her.

"What?" she asked, totally oblivious to the effect she was having on me…

Throwing discretion to the wind, I grabbed a hold of her head and pulled her in for a kiss that had been building up since I had left her here…a kiss she eagerly responded to.
Minutes passed but they were mere milliseconds to me.
It had been too long since I had last done this…

Pulling away from me she asked breathlessly, "How long are you in Konoha?"

"I leave tomorrow."

"Hmm…" Sakura hummed, she was clearly disappointed at this news. "Then I guess we'll have to make the most out of the night then, won't we?"

Just when I thought that this girl couldn't possibly shock me anymore…she did it once again.
I looked at her closely, looking for some trace of hesitation or fear…but I only found longing in her eyes.

I opened my mouth to ask if she was sure about this decision, and maybe she should think about it longer…but before I could get a word out, her lips were covering mine once again and my thought process ceased.

"How about for one night we don't ask any questions…"

I smiled then and said, "I never thought I'd here you say that…"

Then I surrounded us with my sand and transported us back to her house.

We spent hours expressing to each other just how much we had missed the other…
It was a night of gentle caresses.
Frantic tumbles.
Soft moans.
Sweet sweat.
And gentle reassurances.
When we were finally exhausted, the sun was starting to come up.

"You don't have to stay here. You can go if you want…I understand. Just laying here must be boring while I sleep."

Pulling her on top of me so that she was now using me as a pillow, I brushed the hair out of her eyes and said, "I'll be right here when you wake up."

She laughed quietly at that, "The last time you said that, you were in my living room staring out of the window…and you were in that same exact spot when I woke up."

I smiled at her memory, "Go to sleep."

She said something else, but since she was already half asleep, so it just came out as incoherent mumbles.
As she was sleeping, my peace was disturbed by a voice of the past,
Well, look at this…I leave you alone for awhile and look what happens to you…
Shukaku…it's been a long time.
I decided to take a little breather…it's hard work bugging you all of the time. I have to make sure you don't get too use to me you know...
I could never get use to you. You're too annoying.
Be careful boy, or I could make it so you make this girl bleed more than just the virgin blood you already spilt from her...
What do you want. I snapped at him.
Leave it to Shukaku to ruin everything...
I just wanted to have a little chat…especially about all of these recent developments in your life. How weak have you become boy? The village no longer fears you, you're the new Kazekage, and now you've been lured into this girl's bed?! You're just asking for betrayal…you haven't grown stronger, you're weaker then you've ever been…
Using your definition of being weak, yes, I am much weaker. But in my definition of the term…I'm stronger then I've ever been.
Tsk, tsk...what would your mother say…

That's when I closed my mind to him.
But I felt as my insides vibrated…he was laughing at me.

It was way past noon by the time Sakura woke up.
She looked at me and smiled a sleepy smile, "Good morning." she said.

"Good afternoon." I said back.

She made a face and said, "It's that late already?"

I nodded. "I have to leave soon."

She made another face and said, "I know."

"But I have to see Tsunade before I go…I could use an escort...otherwise I may get lost along the way..."

She was smiling once again, "Let me get dressed and then we're on our way."

Sakura waited outside of Tsunade's office while we worked out the final plans for our new agreement.
If all went according to plan, Suna would have water and food in the next few days.
I thanked her once again and then left.

Sakura walked me a little passed the gate where we were forced once again to separate.

I pulled her to me and asked, "No regrets right?"

"Never." she said as she was kissed me.

I couldn't take it anymore.
If I stayed any longer I wouldn't be able to leave…
So I transported myself up onto a branch near her.

I watched her as she looked around for me.
Then I watched as she sighed and walked slowly back into Konoha.
Each step she took felt like her foot landed directly onto my chest.

Before she entered the gate once again, I transported behind her and asked, "So what is it going to take for me to get you to come back to Suna with me?"

She turned around, surprise written all over her face, "I thought you left!" she said as she pulled me into a hug.

"You didn't answer my question."

Letting go of me, she motioned towards the Hokage building and said, "Just as long as it takes me to pack and get permission from Tsunade."

I grabbed her hand and pulled her down the road with me. "You can buy what you need in Suna."

"Wait, Gaara…I need a pass to get into Suna! And Tsunade needs to know I'm leaving as well, otherwise she'll think…"

Turning around to look at her once again I held out her pass to her. "She already knows."

A smile filled her face and we began walking once again.

We stopped for the night when we were about halfway to Suna.
Normally I wouldn't stop, I would just keep traveling; but I knew that Sakura needed to rest.

Deep into the desert, we intertwined with each other in order to stay warm.

"You're right…" she said as she drifted off to sleep once again, "the stars are better out here…"
And then she faded to sleep.

The wind howled around us, and a voice that shook me down to the core spoke softly and sweetly to me…I knew it was my mother.

Gaara…
Gaara my son…
Gaara my love...
What are you doing?
Have I taught you nothing?
Have you not learned from my past and what your father did to me?
How could you possibly trust someone to truly love you?
She will only betray you in the end…

She's not like him, mother…she would never…

Gaara…that's exactly what I told myself…
I said that he would never betray me or our vows…and look what he did to me.
He turned the whole village against me after I gave them everything I had.
I sacrificed my life and happiness to marry that man so that Suna's people could live in peace with each other…and they all turned on me and sentenced me to…

Have me. I finished for her.

My love…
The wind circled around me and as a wisp of sand caressed my cheek.
Sakura shivered in her sleep and pulled herself closer to me.
I have never regretted your existence.
I am the only one who acknowledged you when everyone else feared you...
You have brought me great joy in carrying out my vengeance…until now.
Do not disobey me.
Kill this girl.
Bring the desert rain with her blood and baptize it in my name.
Destroy Suna.
Bring the people fear and torment that not even the most sordid mind can imagine.
And I will forgive you for your recent mishaps.

No mother, I will not.
I have grown up, and I'm no longer yours to control.
You no longer exist for me…you are dead.
You died years ago.

NO! YOU WILL NOT DENY MY EXISTANCE!!!

Goodbye mother…

Suddenly a sandstorm raged all around us, and I quickly protected Sakura and myself with my sand.

"What's happening?!" she yelled over the screaming wind.

I could sense my mother's spirit in the storm, but I didn't want to tell her…

"It's just a sandstorm." I told her.
At my words, the storm got worse.
I pulled Sakura closer to me.

Rage all you want mother, I will not back down.

The storm got louder and stronger, but then it stopped…and once again everything was serene and still around us.

"That was crazy!" Sakura said as she stood up and looked all around for the storm, which was no where to be seen. "Does that always happen?!"

"Sometimes." I said, "usually you can see them coming. But sometimes, they just appear out of nowhere and then disappear as quickly as they had come."

"I have so much to learn…" Sakura said as she sat down and curled into me once again.

I smiled slightly and looked back up to the sky.

"Sakura…" I said quietly.

"Hmm?" she responded.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"Everything."

She pulled herself closer into me and whispered, "No…thank you."

Eventually she drifted back to sleep.
I scanned our surroundings and found no one around.

Tomorrow we would reach Suna and I would not only bring the news to the village that food and water was on its way, but I would also get to introduce Sakura to my life and my world…
Of which I hoped she would embrace and be a part of forever…