AN: Hi all. Because my morning sickness has been way worse than my first pregnancy (I haven't thrown up yet, but there have been a couple almost, and I've just generally felt like crap), I haven't been able to write as much as I wanted to. That and work has been crazy, especially when it shouldn't be. Legit, I just had an email asking me to confirm something was done with a screenshot in the email of the system saying it was confirmed already. I guess Einstein was right. "There two things absolutely infinite. The Universe and Human stupidity. I'm not sure about the Universe."

Plus it was also my birthday. I have a lot of family coming to town to celebrate.

Anyway, because I haven't been able to write as much, the next chapter isn't even done. It's one of the most complicated, even though there's no scene change. I can't even go into how much happens, but it's the whole House of Daimyos, so it's a lot of moving pieces. In comparison, writing this first scene in this chapter took me a day, while the House of Daimyos is taking what feels like a month. In short, until my morning sickness subsides, I'm going to switch to an every other week schedule if possible. Might be longer, because I'm catching up with myself.

Positive thoughts! Please review.

Chapter 15

The night was dark and the moon was high in the sky when it happened. Gaara wasn't even sure how long he'd been asleep when he was jarred awake by the sound of battle downstairs and glass shattering. Gaara didn't even have a moment to wake up and think as he opened his eyes to see a ninja hanging from his ceiling. The assassin had a sword posed to drop on him as he leapt down. The ninja was quick.

Gaara's sand was quicker.

Gaara's sand collapsed on the intruder, but as it began to squeeze, the intruder dissolved into a sand clone, dropping in a slump onto the bed and waking Emika, who yelped at the rude awakening, only for Gaara to cover her mouth with his hand. He used his sand to search for the real assassin. She pressed at his hand to take it off her, but he held fast, needing her silence as he focused. He lifted a finger to his lips as he pulled his hand away, getting up from the bed. It didn't matter how powerful he was with his sand, lying down in a fight was tantamount to giving up.

"Barricade yourself in the closet until this is over," Gaara directed with a whisper, nudging his head in the direction of the small passage past the bathroom.

She glowered at him and hissed, "I'm not some damsel in distress."

He scowled at her, not needing her to be brave now. It was stupid and unnecessary. "Get to the closet!" he hissed.

She huffed, but left, disappearing down the hall, only to step back out, this time with the ninja holding her at knifepoint, using the princess as a body shield with the princess's hands pinned behind her back. Gaara squared off to him, but the ninja pressed the knife against Emika's neck, causing a little divot in her skin. She hissed from the prickle of pain. "Don't move an inch," the ninja directed at Gaara, "Or the little wifey will lose a jugular."

Gaara felt his heart tighten at the sight, but didn't let the fear show on his face. He'd always been really good at compartmentalizing, and he knew the only way to keep Emika safe right now was to keep a level head. He could fret about sending her directly into danger's path after he saved her.

"Who hired you?" she demanded, surprising Gaara that she wasn't panicking.

"No one," the ninja answered, keeping his eyes on Gaara, clearly having assessed the Kazekage as a bigger threat.

"Bullshit," Emika spat. "Was it my Uncle?"

"I said not an inch! I feel your sand creeping up my feet!" the ninja howled at Gaara, pressing the knife into Emika's skin further, letting the blood trickle. She let out an involuntary whimper from the pain. Against his instincts, Gaara's sand retreated.

Gaara's gaze fell to Emika's, and he knew she could see his worry and regret at telling her to leave his side. She blinked slowly at him, as if trying to convey a message, but he didn't understand.

"Was it my Uncle?" she reiterated.

"Talkative little bitch, isn't she?" the ninja growled. Gaara scowled at him, not appreciating the asshole talking about Emika like that. "Keep quiet princess," he whispered in her ear. "This is between us and your hubby." Then he lifted his chin, meeting Gaara's glare with his own as he said, "Now, Gaara, this is how this is going to go down. You will get on your knees. Any other movement from you or your sand will result in the princess's death. We understood?"

"Yes," Gaara spat out with visceral disdain.

"Good. Kneel." Gaara first looked at Emika worriedly, but she closed her eyes and gave a small nod. He tilted his head as if he disagreed, but then the man screamed, "KNEEL!"

Gaara's mouth twisted into a scowl as he knelt to the ground. The ninja smiled, and he heard the curtains behind him move. He had to assume that was a clone as well, because the real one was holding Emika at knifepoint. That was the only logical strategy. But a clone was no less lethal than the real thing. He felt the clone fist his hair and yank his head back, holding a sword over him.

Then Emika let out a howl, and the clone dissipated into a pile of sand as the ninja yelped, "What the fuck!?" Gaara snapped his head up, seeing Emika had struggled free. And if he wasn't mistaken, she was making a standard lightning hand seal. Her hand looked like a bull with horns, which she then promptly spun and jammed into the intruder's eyes as she yelled again. The man let out a hard grunt, then dropped as she kept her fingers in his eyes for a second. Then she jumped back, darting behind Gaara as she said, "Finish him."

"What?" Gaara huffed, not used to receiving such directions.

The ninja groaned, picking himself up until he was standing. "My eyes," he groaned, clutching at his bloody face. "You fucking bitch! What did you do to my eyes!?"

"Kill him!" Emika howled.

Gaara didn't hesitate, throwing his hand up and enveloping the intruder in sand. The sand hovered, holding the ninja aloft as it steadily covered his body. "Who do you work for?" Gaara asked.

"Who do you work for?" the man snapped back. Gaara's sand pulled the man's hands away from his face, showing that his eyelids were bloody and gaping. The eyeballs singed in places, making for a gruesome sight.

Gaara's sand tightened a little. "Answer me. I will not ask again."

The man spat at him, then hissed, "Go to hell! You and your bitch princess!"

Gaara set his jaw, wiping the spit from his nose with one hand. "Have it your way," he said before closing his hand, and with it, the sand collapsed on itself, erasing the existence of the ninja altogether. His sand retracted as he grabbed Emika's hand and pulled her out into the hallway. She wasn't leaving his side now.

As they walked out, they saw Chie behead one of the intruders with a swift, smooth swing of one of his swords. Gaara had never seen him in actual battle, but apparently, he was a dual-wielding kenjutsu specialist. Gaara and the old bodyguard shared a look, then proceeded downstairs, where Shijima stood in front of another intruder who was caught in her unsealed Sharingan's gaze. Gaara quickly shielded Emika behind him, directing both the princess and Chie, "Don't look in her eyes."

The intruder's veins began to pop in his skin as he fought the paralyzing gaze. Shijima flinched for a second, her eyes clearly causing her pain. The moment caused the man to struggle free of her hold, unzipping his grey vest to show he was covered in paper-bombs underneath. As they started to ignite, Gaara acted quickly, throwing his sand around him, wrapping him in a tight ball as the bombs detonated, keeping everyone safe as the explosion muffled under tight sand. Their ears still rang, but the intruder was gone.

As normal hearing returned, and Shijima located her glasses that sealed away her imperfect sharingan, Gaara asked, "Where is Kankuro?"

Shijima fixed her glasses on her face, then answered, "He followed an intruder out onto the deck. Might have chased him down the river." She gestured to where the man she'd been fighting was, and asked, "Who were they?"

"Assassins," Gaara answered plainly.

"Who sent them?" Shijima asked.

Chie pursed his lips, then said, "We're in Futen. Likely the same people who've been killing all of Emika's other fiances." He turned to Emika to ask how she was only to realize she was bleeding. "Princess, what happened?" he asked, gesturing to her neck.

Her eyelids fluttered as she waved him off. "It's nothing. One of the ninjas had me at knifepoint to get Gaara to comply. I'm fine."

"Emika, you're bleeding," Chie said, sounding worried for her.

She lifted her fingers to her neck, muttering, "I'm fine," only to pull away her hand and see blood. She gulped, closing her eyes as she said, "It's not that bad."

"Chie, go assist Kankuro," Gaara directed. Chie gave a small bow before taking off from the downstairs deck. "Shijima, take Emika upstairs and dress that cut. There should be a first aid kit in the bathroom."

Shijima nodded, taking Emika upstairs to the bathroom.

Gaara pressed his lips into a tight line, sorting his thoughts. They knew this was a possibility coming here, becoming a target. It was different, and never easy, facing that reality rather than just knowing it was a possibility.

He went upstairs, passing the bathroom as he walked over to the body Chie had left in the upstairs hallway. He started checking the body's pockets and pouches. He found a forehead protector for Kemurigakure from the Land of Jungles. It was odd to find a ninja from there here, since the Wind and Jungles had unpleasant relations and trade embargos for the past three decades. The symbol of a black cloud behind a white flame was not crossed out, meaning this was a ninja in good standing of his village.

Finding nothing else on him, Gaara's sand swept over the body, crushing it into dust. Kankuro and Chie returned with another body in Kankuro's Black Ant, dead from his Iron Maiden attack. They checked that body too, finding another Kemurigakure forehead protector. They also found a mission scroll, detailing an anonymous patron was paying for them to kill the Kazekage. Gaara took the scroll, then again covered the final body with sand and erased it.

"Gaara, get some rest," Kankuro urged. "You both have to face the House of Daimyos in the morning. Nothing else is going to happen tonight."

Gaara sighed and nodded. It was easy to be paranoid after such an event, but he knew Kankuro was right. The assassination attempt failed. Meaning they were safe for the night. And it wouldn't do to appear in front of the House of Daimyos looking exhausted and unkempt. He made his way up to the guest bathroom first to check on Emika. Shijima had helped her sponge off the blood from her neck and chest, and put a basic bandage over it. "We'll take the band-aid off in the morning," Shijima said, finishing clean-up as Emika shrugged her silk pajama shirt back on. Shijima averted her gaze, and Gaara knew she found the visage of Emika's breasts as appealing as he did. He wondered momentarily if Emika had noticed Shijima's preference.

Emika stood and walked out, looking at Gaara carefully before walking past him to their bedroom. Gaara gave Shijima a thankful bow before returning to his room. He saw Emika sitting on the bed, buttoning her pajama blouse shut, only to look down and grimace at the blood spattering the silk on her chest. She ripped the buttons out of their holes, wadding the ruined silk shirt up and throwing it at the wall with an aggravated huff. Then she covered her mouth with her hands, then her eyes as she took a shuddering breath.

Gaara stood in front of her, placing comforting hands on her shoulders as he said, "Hey. We're alright."

She shook her head, and sobbed, "It's all my fault. You'd have never been a target if …"

"Look at me," Gaara said, grabbing her by her chin. "I'm all right." He lifted his hand to thumb her bandage as his jaw stiffened, with anger settling on the back of his tongue. "I shouldn't have told you to leave my side."

He saw the hurt forgiveness in her gaze, wanting to apologize as well. Instead of saying anything, she pressed forward, pushing her lips against his in a soft, tender kiss. It was everything. Her sorrow. Her worry. Her hurt. Her apology. Her grace. Her love. She pulled away, pressing her forehead against his. It was everything, and yet not enough.

He pushed up, pressing his lips back to hers fervently as he clutched at her. He licked at her lips with desperate need, and he wondered if there would ever be a time he didn't need her like this. He broke away only to rip off his sleep-shirt, so he could feel her bare chest against his as his lips collapsed on hers again. She kissed back at him just as fervently, holding onto him like a life-preserver in a storm. Quickly, he dropped his pants, exposing himself to her before positioning her on the bed with him over her on all fours.

He knew from the Ichi Ichi Paradise novels that the adrenaline from fighting causes the same hormones to release as having sex, causing people to become horny or making the body yearn for that primal release. Gaara had originally thought it was just a writer's fancy. Until now, that is. His body was screaming at him that he was alive, and she was alive, and that they should do what their bodies did best together. "I need to be inside you," he grunted against her lips as he ground his already hardened dick against her silken hips. She nodded, apparently feeling the same need as him.

He dropped down her body, trailing kisses down her cheek, neck, collarbone, chest, pausing briefly at her nipples as his hands fumbled with the waistband of her pajama bottoms. He kissed down her abdomen, feeling her skin jump against his lips as he finally began yanking her pants off her.

"Ignore the scars," she begged through her panting.

He threw her pants to the side and spread her legs as he hissed, "I don't care about them. Just you." He guided his dick to her folds before pressing in mercilessly. There was no foreplay like last time, but she was already incredibly wet for him. He settled over her, pinning one of her hands to the bed with his as he began his steady rhythm thrusting into her. His rhythm was hard and bruisingly merciless, taking all of his frustrations out of his body and into her core. A part of him thought he should be a little gentler with her, but her mewling cries told him she enjoyed it.

It was pure, carnal passion, and they were no more than beasts. Even their sounds were less human, and more that of animals in heat.

She came quickly, clutching at him desperately as she gasped his name and a few expletives. He knew it was selfish to keep going, but he was so close. He acknowledged her climax with a kiss before grabbing her hips to steady her as he picked up his pace, thrusting her hips down onto his dick like she was just sex toy for him to play with. Finally he came, filling her with his warm ejaculation.

He stayed inside her, bowing over her as he adorned her chest with kisses, tasting the salt of her sweat and enjoying the smell of her postcoital musk. He felt her hand run through his hair, gently holding his head to her chest, his ear over her heart so he could hear it pounding. Her other hand wrapped around his shoulders, tracing a line along his spine that sent shivers down his back.

As their breathing calmed, he murmured, "Do you need another sylph pill?"

"Not this time," she said, her fingers twirling soft circles on his scalp. "My period ended two days ago. So, we're in the clear."

He sighed, relieved a little. "You aren't going to disappear on me again, are you?" he asked, looking up at her.

Her hand tracing the line along his back moved up to caress his cheek as she kissed his forehead, right on his kanji, causing him to close his eyes at the affectionate gesture. His eyes fluttered open as she said, "Not this time," her thumb trailing small circles around his cheekbone. He leaned into the intimate feeling of her hand, never feeling such heartwarmingly pure love outside of her arms, and kissing her wrist softly in response. She guided his face back up to hers and kissed him with loving warmth. He tucked them under the covers and used his sand to turn off the light, maintaining their comfortable tangle of limbs as they kissed and touched each other. In the darkness of the room, only lit by the almost full moon shining through the window in the ceiling, they clutched and kissed each other until they made soft, sleepy love to one another again, whispering, "I love you," between tender kisses, soft nibbles and quiet gasps. When they finished with wanton moans, they held each other close, their trembling naked bodies perfectly aligned as they drifted off to sleep.

Thursday morning after the Opura interview had aired, Shikamaru sat in his office, completely exhausted. Not only did he have to rush all incoming work to make sure they could leave on Monday, but he also had to make sure his and Temari's paperwork was ready for crossing country lines. This was all just a huge hassle. He had no idea when he married Temari that he'd be getting such a troublesome brother. Ok, that wasn't entirely true. He did know both Kankuro and Gaara could be a bit of a handful, however this was never something either he or Temari expected.

Even though the meeting had meant a late-night last night, Shikamaru had come in early to make sure his work was done. It was only 8 in the morning, and he'd already been there an hour and a half. He reached for his coffee, desperate for a pick-me-up, only to find he'd already finished his first mug. His expression soured, frowning at the mug that just wasn't big enough for his needs.

A knock on his door brought his attention up as he heard Naruto's familiar voice say, "Morning, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru yawned in greeting, rubbing his eyes.

"Don't start that," Naruto chuckled, trying to stifle his own yawn. "Here," he said, placing a travel mug of coffee in front of Shikamaru. "Black, like you like it."

"You are a lifesaver, Naruto," Shikamaru chuckled. He reached into his desk drawer, grabbing his pack of cigarettes, then paused holding them up. "You don't mind. Do you?"

Naruto shook his head. Shikamaru smiled, and proceeded to light one up, breathing in the blessed smoke, and releasing it with a wistful sigh before taking a sip of coffee. That hit the spot.

Naruto raised an eyebrow at him, then said, "You know that's a horrible habit." His tone wasn't judgmental or anything. Just pointing out something as easily as someone would point out the sky was blue.

Shikamaru chuckled. Only Naruto could say that in a way that was still accepting. "Yeah," Shikamaru stated. "Temari wants me to quit. But I don't know." He shrugged as he inhaled again, then let the smoke leave through his nose. "The smell always reminded me of Asuma. So, smoking always kind of makes me feel like he's still near."

Naruto smiled. "I get it. I can't pass a brothel, or bar, without thinking of what Jiraiya would say."

Shikamaru smiled broadly. "I bet Hinata likes that."

"I don't say what he'd say out loud," Naruto scoffed. He shivered at the idea of Hinata hearing one of his late master's comments, and Shikamaru laughed. They sipped their coffee in comfortable silence, before Naruto asked, "So, are we not going to talk about the elephant in the room?"

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at him curiously, clearly not clued into what Naruto was talking about.

Naruto rolled his eyes, then said, "Gaara being married."

Shikamaru set his jaw, then inhaled his cigarette again. He gave an aggravated nod, frustrated with the whole situation.

Naruto laughed. "Even though I've seen the news, I still can't believe it."

"You know the Suna Council arranged a marriage for him last year," Shikamaru stated. The idea of his brother-in-law being married wasn't so odd since that fiasco. Arranged marriage at least. Gaara being in love, however was a different story.

"No, I know that," Naruto said. "It's just everything Temari disclosed last night." Shikamaru nodded agreeably. He looked at Shikamaru pityingly, adding, "Must have sucked not to have an invite to your own brother-in-law's wedding."

Shikamaru bobbed his head affably. "Temari's understandably pissed. But Gaara's email did say they had to act when things fell into place, and they couldn't wait three days for us to get there."

Naruto gave a nervous chuckle before adding, "I just can't see Gaara head over heels in love. Y'know?"

"Yeah," Shikamaru grumbled, taking another drag of his cigarette. He puffed out the smoke, then added, "To be honest, when it comes being a ninja and battling, I've gotten pretty good at reading him. But in personal aspects, I can't tell what he's thinking. When Temari and I came forward with our relationship, I was certain he was plotting to kill me, until he stood up, gave a small speech about strengthening bonds, shook my hand, and said, 'Take care of her, Big Brother.' While Kankuro just said, 'She's your problem now.'"

Naruto chuckled. "Got some of those Chunin Exam flashbacks, huh?"

Shikamaru sucked on a long drag as he suppressed a shiver down his spine as he remembered his now brother-in-law killing those gamblers in the hallway before his fight with Sasuke. He still remembered their screams, and how he almost pissed himself with terror, thinking he and Naruto were next just because they were there. Shikamaru shook his head. His brother-in-law had changed a lot since those days. For example, back then he was emotionless except when he was killing someone, which he'd be gleeful about. And yet now, he'd wax rhapsodically on the subject of friendship if given the chance.

"Have you ever noticed how warm his hands are?" Naruto asked. Shikamaru frowned at him as if the question were incredibly random. "Like, they're oddly hot for a normal person, right? Like holding a heating pad. I notice it every time we shake hands. It's a little weird."

Shikamaru snorted a little. Only Naruto would make such an observation out loud. "All of them have warm hands."

Naruto looked at him confused, then blurted, "Who? Everyone in Suna?"

"No. The three of them," Shikamaru clarified with a laugh. "Gaara, Temari, Kankuro. All their hands are very warm."

Naruto looked at him suspiciously, with a sort of impish squint in his eyes as he said, "Warm hands are nice this time of year, right."

Shikamaru frowned at him, not appreciating the insinuation. "Warm hands alone do not make a good marriage." They definitely made nights insufferable when random Konoha heat waves came through, and Temari turned the bed into an inferno, unless she threw off all the covers, leaving Shikamaru shivering without a blanket. There was no inbetween.

"But they help," Naruto giggled to himself.

Shikamaru didn't dignify it with comment, instead taking another drag of his cigarette.

"Well, I guess we know why Gaara didn't get cold feet," Naruto added. A poor attempt at a pun, causing Shikamaru to roll his eyes. "Come on. That was a good one," Naruto tried. Shikamaru shook his head, clearly disagreeing with him. Naruto chuckled into his mug despite himself. "I can't help but wonder what kind of woman turned his head, though. Like, what is this princess like to make a man like Gaara fall in love with her?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "She's a princess. My guess would be perfectly prim and proper, like Hinata, which honestly seems kind of wrong for a guy like Gaara." Shikamaru pursed his lips, knocking some ash off in his ashtray. "The more I've gotten to know him, he seems like he likes a girl who appears like a lady, but is anything but when you get to know her. And Temari said she was a trickster who ran off into the desert on a whim, so."

Naruto laughed a little bitterly. "Trickster explains the secret wedding. With how much the Suna Council was giving you and Temari grief, I doubt he could have planned anything without them knowing." He tongued his cheek, then added, "I mean, obviously, she's pretty. But even pretty girls are insufferable. And Gaara wouldn't put up with insufferable." He looked at Shikamaru pointedly as he asked, "Did Temari say anything else about her?"

Shikamaru made an odd face, then answered, "Just that Emika can be just as unreadable or unpredictable as Gaara. Possibly more so." He chuckled as he added, "She did say at one point during that Trial, Emika convinced an entire Inn she and Gaara were newlywed couple on their honeymoon. Not to mention bartered for a ninja warhorse that wasn't for sale."

That made Naruto laugh. "God, I don't know. If the situation wasn't starting a possible war, I feel like she and I would get along great!"

"Don't let Hinata hear that when you meet her," Shikamaru warned.

Naruto's brows knitted together oddly. "Hinata's not coming."

"You're not taking your wife to a wedding reception?" Shikamaru asked skeptically.

"Did you forget? She's due in a month. The doctors don't want her traveling outside of the village," Naruto answered, "much less the country."

"Right," Shikamaru chuckled. He had forgotten with everything going on. "It's odd to think you're going to be a dad."

Naruto made an odd expression at the comment. "Is it?"

Shikamaru nodded as he took a sip of coffee. "Almost as odd as Gaara being in love," he grumbled as he wiped his lips with his thumb.

Naruto pouted. "I've been married a year. What else is supposed to happen?"

Shikamaru opened his mouth to answer that it wasn't what he meant, but bringing up the fact Naruto grew up as an obnoxious kid with no parents of his own just seemed cruel. "Nothing. I meant nothing about it," he grumbled.

Naruto pursed his lips in odd thought, then said, "I think I'll make a good father."

Shikamaru smiled. "I'm sure of it."

Naruto nodded, reassured, before downing his coffee. He tossed the paper mug in Shikamaru's bin, then stood. "Well, I've got to get to work, or Kakashi will have my head."

"I'll see you later," Shikamaru said, pulling whatever report he'd been working on back in front of him. The short break had been just what he needed to wake up. That and the coffee. "Hey, Naruto," he called.

Naruto paused by the door. "Yeah?" he asked, with his trademark smile.

Shikamaru held up the coffee in a toasting manner, and said, "Thanks for the coffee."

Naruto's smile widened, which seemed impossible. "Don't mention it." Then he left, shutting Shikamaru's door, leaving him alone to battle the day's paperwork.

The sun rose early in Futen at 6:50 in the morning. By 7:15, Chie was downstairs in the kitchen cooking breakfast, the smells of coffee, fried egg tamago gohan and bacon wafting upstairs to the other sleepy residents. As Gaara and Emika woke that morning, their limbs still in a naked tangle with the sheets and each other, there seemed to be an unspoken understanding between them as their eyes opened and they laid there staring at each other for a moment. That despite nothing had changed between them or their stances, they both loved the other, and wanted to be nowhere other than in the other's arms. And for that moment, it was enough. Gaara smiled at her softly, and she bowed her head, hiding her blush as she pressed her face into his chest and shoulder.

"Good morning," he rasped quietly, scratching her back softly.

"Good morning," she whispered back, muffled a little by his skin.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked.

"Mhm," she grunted before lifting her head and asking, "You?"

He felt his lips curling into an easy smile as he answered, "I slept alright."

"Good," she sighed, smiling back at him. She began to move away, but he held on tighter.

"Can't we stay like this?" he asked, his hand traveling up her shoulder, past her neck, to caress her cheek. His thumb brushed her lips lovingly as he whispered, "At least for a moment?"

Her lashes fluttered as she heaved a sigh against him. "For a moment," she acquiesced.

He smiled, showing off his perfect teeth before pressing his lips against hers. The kiss was soft and sweet, passionate but not hard. She could feel his morning wood poking against her thigh, and with the kiss awakening her morning friskiness, she lifted her thigh over his waist, so his dick now poked at her folds rather than her thigh. He chuckled against her lips, then said, "Princess Emika. I do believe you're trying to seduce me."

She pressed her chest tightly against him as she pecked at his lips, swollen from their nighttime activities. "Is it working?" she asked.

He smiled broader as he kissed her again, then rolled so she was pinned underneath him. He let the head of his penis pet along her folds as they kissed before he slipped in easily. She gasped at his intrusion, which he swallowed by deepening their kiss. He thrusted in her a few times, grunting against her lips before stating, "I don't know who told you all those years ago, but they were right. Sex is the best way to wake up."

"Tenshimi told me," she gasped as she braced herself by wrapping her hands at his neck and base of his spine.

He laughed. "That makes total sense," he said before letting out a small grunt of pleasure.

She giggled, slapping his shoulder softly. "Don't be mean."

"I'm not," he laughed, leaning down to kiss her again. He closed his eyes as he groaned against her lips, "God, you feel so good."

She held onto him tightly. "So, do you." He kissed her again, loving the feeling of losing himself in her.

A knock on the door brought everything to a screeching halt. "Gaara, Emika. Breakfast," Kankuro intoned boredly. Gaara bared his teeth at his brother's timing, rolling his hips against hers softer, so his brother didn't hear the bed squeaking. The walls were good in this old building, but he didn't want to test them too much. Kankuro knocked again. "Come on, Bro. It's time to get up."

"Yes," Gaara grunted, trying to sound unperturbed. "Thank you."

"Is Emika awake?" Kankuro asked. "Princess can't sleep in today."

"She's—" Gaara grunted, shaking his head as he tried to think of something. He couldn't just say they were awake sitting in bed together. "—In the bathroom." She looked at him oddly, but he only shrugged. He pressed in harder, and she opened her mouth in a silent gasp.

"Probably doing her hair. Tell her not to take too long," Kankuro started as Gaara unwittingly found Emika's g-spot. "Her assistant, Akira, is supposed to be here in forty-five minutes at 8. And then we all have to be at the House of Daimyos by 9:30."

"Gaara," she cried quietly.

"Sh," he tried, continuing his torturous assault on her g-spot.

She clutched at him, whimpering, "I'm going to cum."

"Sh."

"Are you coming or not, Gaara," Kankuro called through the door.

Gaara couldn't help his smirk as he answered, "In a minute," his thrusting subconsciously getting harder.

"Oh, fuck," Emika mouthed, clutching at him desperately.

"What d'ya say?" Kankuro asked.

Emika was so impossibly tight as her orgasm crashed through them both pulsing through her body. He slowed, feeling his release just around the corner.

"I said, in a minute!" Gaara finally snapped.

"Okay. No need to be a morning grouch," Kankuro said. "Just hurry up whatever you're doing, or your food will get cold." Finally, he was gone.

Emika panted as she came down from her release, and Gaara pressed his whole body into her. He brushed his nose against hers, chuckling, "Feel better."

"Oh, God," she groaned.

"I have to finish things quickly," he said. She nodded understandingly, but too tired to voice it. He pulled her calves back over his hips as he pressed into her deeply, and kissed her intensely, invading her body on two fronts. In thirty seconds he was there. "Emika," he groaned against her lips.

"Me too," she panted.

He drove in hard and deep as they clutched at each other desperately, then came together. As the stars faded from his vision, he kissed at her again, then pulled out, striding out of the bed with ease as he made his way to the bathroom for his morning routine. He saw the stupid smile on his face in the bathroom mirror's reflection, and despite himself, he couldn't get rid of it for long.

He walked back to his bedroom, seeing her lying there sprawled out, still breathing heavily. "Are you getting up?" he asked.

A chuckle bubbled past her lips as she said, "I don't know if you know this, but whenever you do that, my legs stop working."

"Do what? Ask you questions?"

She pushed herself up, looking at him pointedly, still in all his naked glory. "Give me mind-shattering orgasms," she answered plainly.

He bowed over her and said, "We have to go to the House of Daimyos to argue for your throne. It'll work better if you're there. On time."

She scoffed at him. "Don't lecture me about punctuality, Mr. Late-to-Everything."

He made an oddly humorous expression, then said, "Well, last time I was early, I was being born. And a lot of bad things happened that day." His face fell a little as he realized his morbid joke didn't entirely land.

She made an odd face, then asked, "You were born early?"

"Yeah, two months early," he stated, tracing shapes in the sheets. "I was what they call a premie."

"So, what? Were you due in March?" she asked oddly.

"Middle of March. Yeah," he confirmed.

She chuckled, "So, if we measured by conception date, I'd be older than you. By about a month. Weird."

He rolled his eyes. "Are you getting up?"

She sighed aggravatedly. "Yeah," she said, grabbing the covers, only to pause, "D-don't look."

He scoffed. "We've had sex a total of nine times. Now, you're suddenly bashful?"

"First, don't keep count of that. It's weird. And Second, it's daylight. My belly will be more obvious," she excused pointedly.

He shook his head, looking her over oddly. "I told you. I don't care about your scars."

She scowled at him, then said again, "Just, don't look."

He acquiesced, stepping away and getting dressed in his usual ninja gear. He listened to Emika get out of the bed and watched her dart to the bathroom, trying to cover herself demurely with the bed blanket. Gaara chuckled at her, finding her antics a little ridiculous. She came out with her hair pulled up in a neat ponytail and a towel wrapped around her body in a dress as she grabbed her bag, fishing for underwear and a bra. Gaara was still buttoning his shirt, and watched her movements with that immovable smile. He watched her pull out what Kankuro would call granny-panties, and slide them on under the towel. His smile broadened. Women were always depicted in skimpy sexy underwear. Not structural underwear designed for comfort. It made her all more real, which was a lot sexier than a bustier to be honest. Maybe that was a sign of his maturity. There was a time when a vision of a woman in granny panties rather than lingerie would have disgusted him, but now such a vision felt more special, and thus more appealing.

She caught his gaze as she tried to situate her bra before slipping it on. "Stop it."

"Stop what?" he asked.

"Stop smiling," she chuckled.

"I can't," he said.

His answer made her smile despite herself. She licked her lips, then said, "The House of Daimyos are going to think you're up to something."

"Well, if they ask, I will be sure to tell them I'm thinking of my wife in her ridiculous granny panties," he answered, his smile widening wolfishly.

She wadded up her towel, and threw it at him, showing off her body clad only in those high-waisted beige panties. His sand caught the towel, and deposited it on the bed, allowing him an uninterrupted view of his wife in her panties as she put on the matching bra. Then she walked back to the closet, where her hang-up bag was hanging.

Gaara finished getting dressed, then promptly made his way downstairs. As soon as he got to the dining area, he saw Kankuro, Chie, and Shijima already sitting down and eating. Chie swallowed his bite, then pointed to the counter in the kitchen. "Yours and Emika's are on the bar."

"Thank you," he said, going over to prepare his morning tea and grab his bowl. He brought his plate to the table and sat down across from Chie, next to Shijima. He used his fork to make the yolk run and stirring it into his rice.

"Salt and pepper?" Shijima offered.

"No thanks," he said before digging into his food.

Kankuro eyed him suspiciously, holding his mug of coffee to his lips, then asked, "Why are you all smiley?"

"Hm?" Gaara grunted around a mouthful.

Kankuro gestured to his mouth. "That stupid little grin on your face."

Gaara shook his head. "I have no idea what you're talking about," he said as he sipped his tea.

They heard a door upstairs close, and Shijima commented into her cup of coffee, "Princess has finally woken up."

Emika came down in a black and white business suit, looking very polished with a dash of make-up on her face and her high heels clacking against the tiled floors. "Food's on the bar," Chie said with another point.

"Thank you," she sighed, getting her morning coffee and her dish. She sat down next to Gaara, ripping apart her yolk like he did. "Is there salt and pepper?" she asked. Gaara was the first to grab the shakers, even though he had to reach across Shijima for them before passing them to Emika. Emika smiled, taking them from him. "Thank you."

Gaara's smile widened as he said, "Don't mention it." They both ate not looking at each other, but both of them also smiling a lot. So much so, it earned odd, curious looks from Chie, Kankuro, and Shijima. Chie looked as if he were disappointed that he was right about something, while Kankuro thumbed his lower lip pensively, as if putting pieces together, while Shijima just looked oddly lost between them.

Shijima leaned over to Kankuro and whispered, "I feel like I've missed something."

Kankuro smirked bitterly. "I feel like we've all missed something," he remarked before going back to his food.

Both Gaara and Emika could hear them, and shared a look before also sharing a small chuckle at their guards' ignorance.

AN: I am asking again, should Gaara and Emika have children? And if so, how many? I kind of jokingly brought up 5-7 kids, but surely you all have thoughts on the matter. I'd like to hear!

Again, keep sending positive thoughts.

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