Ino had been very skeptical regarding her new relationship with Gaara. It wasn't because she didn't love him; if anything, her feelings for him had grown. His daily visits, followed by sweet talks and kisses, made her feel extremely happy. It was something she thought about even before the incident.

Her skepticism had been mostly due to the fact that she wasn't sure if he would be patient with her while she healed. The first time she had tried getting out of bed on her own, she fell face first on the floor and gave herself a nice bump on her forehead. The nurses had scolded her for her actions, telling her that they were there to help her with anything and that she herself, a nurse, should have known better. And Ino did know better. Nonetheless, there was a part of her that wanted to test her own strength, or lack thereof. And while she laid on the cold floor for a couple of minutes, before the nurses had come in to help her get up, she knew that her healing time would be much longer than what she wanted. Would Gaara really be patient and willing to wait?

She had asked herself that question for the entire day, forgetting the big bump on her head until the red-haired man from her thoughts walked in and immediately asked what happened. And Gaara being Gaara, of course, would not drop the subject until she told him the truth.

A week after that incident, she had started her physical therapy. The first couple of days were hard, as she felt her energy decrease after each session. At the end of every session, she would silently cry for a few minutes before wiping the tears away in order for Gaara not to find out.

With her senses more alert, Ino found herself bored most of the time. During those moments, she would think about the shooting; and everytime she did, her chest compressed. Whenever her parents would visit, she would ask them about him: the man who shot her. The man who now left a large, painful imprint in her life. She knew that he was dead, that much her parents told her. But they would avoid going into further details, feeling that it was unnecessary to think about that memory again.

Considering her parents refused to give her more details, she would ask Sakura. But her best friend would insist on moving on, that the man was dead and could no longer hurt anybody. And while Ino understood where she was coming from when saying that, she still felt unsatisfied. She needed to know more, and the only person who could probably tell her more was her red-haired visitor who would be coming soon.

The time was near seven-thirty in the evening, and she waited impatiently for him to arrive. With the struggles of physical therapy and not getting the answers she wanted, Ino missed him dearly today. She wasn't sure where this new relationship would lead towards, but was looking forward to exploring it with him. Part of her couldn't wait to be discharged from the hospital and go back to the apartment, and the thought suddenly had her eyes widening.

What would the experience be sharing an apartment with the person you were dating? Sure they slept in separate rooms. But did that mean that it would be OK to, occasionally, share a bed?

Her mind raced to inappropriate conclusions and she shook her head rapidly.

Too soon, Ino! Too soon!

But although it was too soon to think about such a thing, she couldn't help but let her mind wander into that territory. She wondered how long of them dating would take for them to share a bedroom.

Ino groaned and she shook her head again. "Dammit Ino, too soon!"

"What's too soon?"

She flinched in her bed at the sound of his voice, turning her head and seeing Gaara standing by the door. Her heart flattered at the sight of him.

"...Uh… nothing… Just randomly thinking...about stuff."

"Are you OK?" he asked while walking in. His eyes scanned her face, as if looking to see if there was any hint that she wasn't doing well.

"I'm fine," she replied, "Just trying not to let this situation get too much into my head… Anyway, long day at work?"

She didn't want to sound like the crazy girlfriend type, demanding why he was visiting her later than usual. However, she couldn't help but be curious.

"Not really," he said, and that really got her curiosity. Should she keep asking? "I was preparing something,"

"Preparing what?"

"You'll see," he stated simply before grabbing her arm, "Can you stand?"

Ino blinked several times, looking uncomfortable. "Uh...why?"

"We're going somewhere,"

"Where?"

"You'll see,"

"...I don't think I'm allowed to go. Nurse won't let me,"

"I asked, it's fine."

"Who did you ask?"

"...Sakura,"

Of course Sakura was going to be OK with whatever Gaara had in mind. And now she was curious as to what he had in mind.

"OK...OK…" Ino said with a sigh, looking at him from the corner of her eyes, "B-But just so you know...I'm still not able to fully walk yet…"

She expected him to ask her why; to question her on why her progress was slower that anticipated. But instead, he grabbed her arm gently.

"Come, I'll help you,"

With a slight nod, she pushed the covers aside and moved her legs. Wiggling her toes as her feet touched the cold floor, Ino pressed her hands onto the mattress and stood. With shaky steps, she put on her slippers before turning towards him.

"Where are we going?"

"Not far," he said, watching as she fixed her hospital gown.

"Ok, but just now that I'm no longer a fast walker…"

He didn't say anything, instead wrapping his arm around her waist as they slowly exited her room. Despite the numerous times they stood close before, Ino felt very nervous around him. As he led her through the hallway and towards the elevator, her mind began to do what it did best: overthink.

And the nice cologne he had on wasn't helping…

Ino's mind, once again, went through the fact that she was now dating her roommate. What if they weren't compatible? That would be very awkward….and damn, did he smell nice today.

Why did he have to look and smell so good today?

The elevator took them two floors up, and Ino raised an eyebrow as he led her towards a pair of glass doors which ultimately led to the small hospital garden. Gaara opened the door for them, and watched as she slowly walked out.

"Why are we here?"

"So impatient…" he said with a slight smile, watching as she groaned in response, "Look…"

Ino turned her head and gasped, finally noticing the nicely decorated round table with two covered plates and a small candle in between.

"What is this?" she asked, pointing at the beautiful set in front of them.

"It's a table with some food on top," he said, his tone lighthearted as she rolled her eyes at him.

"I can see that. But...why?"

He helped her sit down before taking the seat next to her. "...I'm taking you on a date… Is that wrong?"

Ino shook her head as she stared at the delicious food in front of her. "N-No! I'm just very surprised… I'm not even dressed nicely! This hospital gown is hideous…"

"It's fine," he said, filling up their glasses with water, "There'll be more dates in the future as well…"

His statement made her blush, and her anticipation of seeing their relationship blossom made her look forward to her full recovery. The fact that he coordinated this date lifted her spirits.

"You are so sweet…" she said lowly, but audible enough for him to hear. "Hm, this is really good! Where did you get it from?"

"Hinata made it," Gaara simply replied.

"Ah, not surprised! Hinata is a great cook. How'd you get her to cook?"

"...She overheard Naruto and I talking about this and insisted on cooking the meals… She didn't trust Naruto to make this properly…"

Ino giggled at that, "Well, I am glad I am eating what she made and not Naruto's…"

"...Agreed,"

The two ate in silence, and the moment reminded Ino of when they would have dinner together. Considering neither of them had diet restrictions, she had brought up the idea of sharing the dinner responsibilities during the first week of them moving in. Considering both would come home generally around the same time from work, sharing the cooking and cleaning allowed them to have more time in the evening to rest. And on the days Kankuro would come over, they would leave him with the cleaning since his cooking skills were worse than Naruto's.

Ino smiled at the memories as she chewed her food. Living with Gaara had been a great experience, and she couldn't wait until she was out of the hospital and living her life the way she had been before. However, she knew that her life wouldn't be exactly the same as it had been before. It would take some time for her to feel like her old self, and it was due to him: the man who shot her.

"Gaara…"

"Hm?"

"Can you tell me what happened to him?"

"To who?"

"The man who shot me… I know he killed himself, but do you know anything more?"

"Why do you need to know more about him?" he asked, finishing his meal. "He's dead, Ino…"

"I know! But… Why me? Why did he have to target me? Sometimes, I have a hard time sleeping. I get scared that I'll go back into a coma or that he'll come into my room and shoot me again… Gaara, sometimes I feel as if I'll never be the same again…"

Although she was looking at her half-empty dish, she knew that he positioned himself closer to her. He cupped one side of her face, bringing her focus to him, as his other hand grabbed hers.

"Ino, he's not going to hurt you again. He's gone. And you're making progress… I can see it."

"It's still not good enough," she said with a shake of her head, "Gaara, there are people out there who've had worse injuries that recovered faster. I'm still lagging behind!"

"Stop comparing yourself to others," he said, "You're recovering and that's all that matters to me."

"You're so sweet," she replied, turning her head towards the nightly view of the city.

Using her chair as support, she stood up and shivered as the cool wind passed through. Gaara stood as well and positioned himself behind her. His arms wrapped around her to provide her some warmth as he pulled her back so their bodies touched. With such gentleness, he pushed her long hair to the side and nuzzled his face against her neck. Her stomach jumped as a response, and she giggled.

"...The apartment is boring without you," he said, his hot breath tickling her.

Ino bit her bottom lip as the nervousness turned into another feeling. Oh, if only they had the privacy for them to do what was on her mind…

"Is that so?" she teased, staring at the red hair from the corner of her eyes.

"Mhmm. I miss you, Yamanaka…" he said in between the kisses he was giving her to her neck.

"What do you miss most about me?"

"...Everything… Your presence...being with you… cooking with you… just… everything."

"Mhmm… But if you had to pick one, what would it be?"

Gaara sighed. Why did women have to make things more complicated? But he would answer her, and then challenge her back.

"Your presence. Having you around, as a whole, makes me happy."

"Awww," Ino said gladly, feeling the arm around her waist move up so it was situated right below her breasts.

"Tell me," he said against her ear, "What do you miss most about me?"

"Hm… I would say the times you would remove those pesky bugs out of my room! But that didn't happen often… Thank God… Oh, I know! You finding my underwear in your laundry," she replied with a giggle as Gaara groaned.

"You always forgot to check the dryer when taking your clothes out,"

"And you always forgot to check the dryer when putting your clothes in,"

Gaara lifted his head from her neck and pressed a light kiss against her temple. "I think you did it on purpose half the times…"

"Oh? And what makes you say that?"

"You would parade yourself in your panties in front of me more times than I can count… And don't forget the time I've seen you without anything on top too… I think you had an agenda on testing me..."

"Hm, Gaara I would say that those things are what you miss most about me... "

Gently, he turned her around so he could lean his forehead against hers.

"I never approached you before because we were just roommates… I didn't want to ruin that bond with you even though I wanted you so many times," he said, and Ino raised her eyebrows at his sudden confession, "Now that we are something much more than what we were before, I will continue waiting until you're healed and ready. And once you are, I will have you, Yamanaka…"

Her shocked expression didn't give her time to react to such proclamation as Gaara cupped her face and kissed her mouth fiercely. And had she been wearing undies beneath her large hospital gown, she knew that they would have been on the floor by now.

As Sakura's big day approached, Ino spent the majority of her day at the hospital calling restaurants and bakeries in regards to the catering. Even though she couldn't physically go there, she did have a phone and Gaara had brought over her laptop the week before. Between her therapy sessions, she would do research on the flower decorations and have her and Sakura's mother visit the flower shops.

While organizing the wedding decorations was fun, one thing she looked forward to was the dance. She knew that Rock Lee was coordinating the two dances, and had seen videos of the dance practices. With her body still recovering, Ino wanted to get a headstart at reciting in order to ensure that she would be up to speed with everyone else. So the night before, she had sent Rock Lee a text and asked him to start teaching her the moves. And Lee, being Lee of course, was overly ecstatic and replied back that he would be there the next day.

And with the time now showing five in the evening, Ino slowly walked around her room in order to get her legs ready for her first dance practice.

"Knock knock!"

She turned and smiled as she saw her dance partner appear, his shining bright teeth sparkling with his overly enthusiastic smile.

"Hey Lee!"

"Ino, I can see you're walking now!"

"Yes, slowly… But I am getting there. Sorry for texting you last minute yesterday, but I don't want to feel left out from the group. I want to learn these dances,"

"Do not apologize, it is no trouble at all!" the young man said as he placed his smartphone on top of a table and closed the door to her room.

"Which song should we get started with?"

"Ah, let's see. We can go in order from easiest to hardest. Sakura wants everyone dancing to Perfect Duet by Ed Sheeran. Her and Sasuke will be in the middle and everyone else will be around them dancing. We can start with that one. Here, hold my hand with your right one and put your left hand on my left shoulder,"

Ino did as instructed and Lee played the song. For the entirety of the song, they moved around the room with Lee leading. Although her steps weren't as graceful, with her legs shaking and all, Ino enjoyed the song. Aside from the dance being elegant, the song itself was perfect. The message was beautiful and it was definitely perfect for the wedding.

The song finished and Ino sat down on her bed, massaging the back of her legs.

"Was it too much?" Lee asked, switching over to the second song.

Ino shook her head with a smile, "Nah. I just like to massage my legs...makes them feel better. What's the next song?"

"Well… the next song is actually a secret."

"Oh? How so?"

"Sakura wants to do something...hm, how do I put it...sexy for Sasuke…"

Ino raised an eyebrow. "In her own wedding? Did she forget that there will be parents there?"

Lee laughed and nodded. "Yes… But she wants to spice things up. I have a video for that, so you can see."

Ino watched the video and gasped, seeing a shy Hinata sitting on Temari. "Wait, do the guys know about this? Neji, Naruto, Sasuke, Shikamaru?"

"Nope," Lee said, "It's a bonus song Sakura really wants to do. And because they want to keep it a secret, they are practicing with each other."

"How's Sakura going to be able to pull those moves? She's pregnant!"

"She practiced them and can pull them off without getting hurt. Besides, the whole dance doesn't require the ladies moving around too much."

"Oh, so how will it start?"

"We will have the men sit on chairs and you ladies will be standing in front of them. The song will start playing and the ladies will slowly walk towards the men and sit on them. For the first thirty seconds of the song, the dance will be on the guys as you can see here,"

Ino watched the video a second time, seeing a shy Hinata practice on a giggling Temari while Tenten practiced on an empty chair. Based on Tenten's dance moves, she could see that the dance will be very sexual.

"How the heck are we going to get Hinata to actually dance this in front of everyone?"

"Sakura said that we will give her some wine beforehand," Lee replied.

"Hm, good idea. What's after this part?"

"After this, the ladies will grab the men's arms and whisper in their ear to stand. The guys will stand but with the ladies in their arms,"

"...Is Sakura trying to put all of our parents in an uncomfortable position with this?"

Lee laughed, "The song is actually short, and only the first minute is provocative. Everything afterwards is toned down,"

"OK, I want to practice this one too. I still think it's a strange one, but whatever makes my best friend happy! Are you OK if we just do one around? If you're not OK with it, that's fine! It'll probably be awkward for you to have someone dancing on you like this…"

Lee laughed, "Oh don't worry about it, Ino! And remember, I'm your dance partner!"

"Ha, you're right! Alright, let's just do one round."

Lee started the song and Ino stood up in front of him, determined on getting this right. However, that didn't mean that she wouldn't question Sakura on her decision of having them do this. Those pregnancy hormones must've really been messing with her brain.

Ino sat astride on his lap, trying to remember the steps from memory. At the thirty second queue, she wrapped her arms around Lee's neck as he stood up, placing his hands beneath her thighs in order to support her. Ino giggled and shook her head. Even practicing this made her feel awkward. Now she understood Hinata's stiffness in the video. How were they supposed to do this in front of everyone else? Oh, she couldn't wait until she spoke to Sakura again…

"This is so strange," Ino said with a giggle, "I'm having a hard time practicing with a straight face on! How are we going to get Hinata to do this?"

Lee shrugged his shoulders, "Sakura believes that five glasses of wine should do the trick,"

"Ha, she may need more than that-"

"What's going on?"

Ino didn't have to turn her head to know who was standing behind. The tone of Gaara's question made it very clear that he was not happy, and turning her head, her eyes widened at the extremely unpleasant look he had on. And it wasn't towards her that he was giving the glare to, but to the dark-haired man currently carrying her as she had her legs loosely wrapped around his waist. It was one thing having Gaara walk in on them during one of the worst dance recitals ever, but the fact that Gaara and Lee did not tolerate one another and that the two had exchanged fists years ago didn't make things any better.

Author's Note: OK, so the wedding dance thing was inspired by a friend's recent wedding. In her invitation, she mentioned that the ceremony would be adults only... and I could see why it was haha. It wasn't overly provocative (and hey, they were married!), but it's something you wouldn't want young children seeing...

Please leave a review and let me know what you all think!