When Sakura's bedroom door opened Gaara soaked in her appearance. Her pink hair was tangled and standing straight up, green eyes hooded with fatigue, and a rope lazily throw on showing a bare shoulder. The smell of blood hit him in the face making his nose flare. A trail of blood from her lips trained down her chin. Had she been sleep? Gaara's irritation went into anger.

"Well, aren't you just sleeping beauty." Sakura could tell by the way the words dropped out of his mouth he was being sarcastic.

"No your confused," Sakura ran her fingers through her hair trying to calm it. Gaara watched as the opposite took effect and it puffed up, "your beauty and I'm the beast." She rolled lips only to find that blood as on them. She wiped away the trail.

This made Gaara snort. A beast? More like a crazed pink Pomeranian. He took enjoyment out of the thought and turned swiftly to guide them to his room knowing the woman would follow him.

Gaara had been waiting on Sakura for hours now. Not that they had set a specific time, but it was now midnight with no communication. Why was he so irritated about her not coming to report? She was probably exhausted. Though when he had sensed her presence hours ago he couldn't help but questioning why had she not come to report to him. Did she not respect a Kazekage?

Gaara new his agitation was mostly from dealing with the council for hours and filling out idiotic reports for todays occurrence. The twelve seniors on the council seemed even more prone on bringing up insignificant information. Tōjūrō had been guiding the discussion in the wrong direction until Kankuro stepped in.

"Gaara, this attack is precisely why the Kazekage needs an heir. If you get taken again we need to have an heir with Suna blood." Whispers snaked around the table at Tōjūrō's words.

Gaara wanted to hit something. Why were they discussing this? They should be going over the problem of infiltration of a possible imitating group of s ranked killers.

"We don't want a spoiled bloodline. It needs to be kept pure so that Suna can stay strong." Tōjūrō spoke softly practically egging on the other council members.

"The bloodline is being spoiled?" Ripples of concern voices rose.

"By who?!"

"Kazekage, have you chosen someone?" All eyes turned to Gaara. Gaara stayed silent. Why should he add to the drama? They were already creating so much and he wanted to point in it.

Tōjūrō added to the fire again,"We all know that Temari is a lost cause-"

"SILENCE." Gaara voice pierced through the growing chaos. He wanted to hear nothing of his sister being bad mouthed by these old bags.

Another question arose, "Don't want us to discuss the affairsss of Temari?" Another. "Her exploits have now ventured outside of the village." Another. "What if she decides on someone other than her own clan?" Another. "What would that mean for Suna?" Gaara's angry began to grow. He could feel the sand in his gourd starting to move with his frustration.

Tōjūrō smiled. He wanted him to break. He wanted Gaara to make a mistake. This way he could take him down.

Kankuro voice quieted everyone at the round table. "This is not the matter at hand nor one you should be concerned with, we have an organized attacking group of ninja. That is our focus."

Kankuro looked to Gaara who nodded in thanks and continued on. "We have far more problems than someone's personal affairs. This is a very concerning matter, and instead of examining it you want to play marriage counsel instead."

Gaara sighed, Kankuro had become a rock that Gaara needed to stand on over the years with the counsel.

Gaara now had control back."Now let's review our evidence and what intel was received from the wounded."

The meeting and droned on after that. Reviewing over protocol and enhancing security. Gaara had been in his office working through piles of paperwork. His brain was dead. He had had barely enough time to look into Sakura's request.

Jogi Hiko.

Gaara had requested Baki, his former Sensi, to go to the information center to retrieve any information possible. He trusted this ninja with his life and most sensitive tasks. If this had any connection to what happened today Gaara wanted to know about it and keep it secret until the information would be useful. All Baki had come back with was one scroll. Out of all the piles of scrolls and information he returned with one small scroll.

They traveled silently to his room. Gaara opened the door to reveal a plain room. Ordinary furniture adorned the area a king sized bed, nightstand, dressers, a couch, a chair and a lone cactus in a pot with a pink blossom. Nothing special, nothing extravagant. You would not think a leader slept here. The only personal touch was a photo of Gaara and Naruto together on the night stand.

"You finally got me in your room, what are you going to do with me now?" Sakura teased. "See me naked again?"

He did want that. He would love to see her bare flesh. A shoulder was not enough, a wave of lust ran through him. She was only in a robe and flimsy material at that. Gaara watched as Sakura examined the room. She drifted over by the cactus examining the pink bloom.

"I told you, I'd take you to dinner first if I was going to see you naked."

"Ah, you're a wine and dine her kind of guy."

"Not your style?"

Sakura paused. What was her style? Men that run off and chase power? Men that leave her? Men that don't come home? She settled into the response, "My style is a little less refined you could say."

"Hn."

"You know that doesn't count as a word right? It's not a response normal humans use."

"Hn."

Sakura reached out to touch the pink blossom on the cactus.

"Don't touch Larry."

She paused. He. Did. Not. Name. His. Cactus. Larry. Laughter built inside as she tried to suppress it.

"Larry?"

"My cactus." Gaara's tone was stone cold serious.

Sakura couldn't help it. She bust out laughing. The great Gaara of the Sand, Gaara of the Sand waterfall, the Gaara that set the record time of completing the Chūnin Exams in the Forest of Death, and came out unscathed. Gaara. The jinchūriki of Shukaku has a cactus named Larry.

Gaara's eye twitched as Sakura laughed. She reached out to touch the cactus ignoring his warning. He was behind her in a instant. Gripping both of her wrists. The length of his body pressed into her. She hissed. Not faltering he held her tightly.

He had to bend slightly to whisper in her ear, "I told you not to touch him." Gaara stayed there a moment as she squirmed against him. She fit so nicely on his body. Her plump ass set against his member and squirming was not helping him. Her ass gently moved against him, brushing him through the fabric. He wanted to let out a groan. That annoying robe was in the way. He didn't mean for this to happen as much as he wanted her. He just wanted to protect Larry.

"Gaara. Let go of me. Or I will really hurt you." Sakura was wide awake now. Chakra was charging to her fists

"Promise not to touch Larry."

"Promise."

Letting go of her wrists Gaara stepped back from Sakura. She was so warm he wanted to bring her back against him. To distract himself he moved over to the couch.

"Do you get claustrophobic?"

"That wasn't claustrophobic, Kaze. That's called restraining me."

Gaara smirked. That was not restraining. He could show her restraining. Plus it was her fault. If she hadn't tried to reach out and touch Larry this wouldn't have been an issue. "Not for that. I am going to create a sand room. We need to talk in full privacy."

"Then no, I'm not claustrophobic. I didn't know ninja had that luxury. You're not going to touch me with the sand are you?" Sakura cocked her hips to the side and rested a hand on it.

Gaara resisted the urge to lick his lips. "Not unless you want me to. "

With that sand rippled out of Gaara's gourd on his back and created a dark abyss around Sakura.