Here's the next chapter from the stockpile I've built up. I appreciate all the support you are sending my way. If you enjoy this story, or there is a specific scene you liked, be sure to let me know! Its good to hear from you all and encourages me to keep going. Without further ado, here is the next chapter, and I hope you enjoy it!

"I can't believe we're doing this," Beki whispered even though there was no one around for miles. Gaara turned his head and gave her a shy grin. He never did anything spontaneous and the prospect of this mini-vacation together was thrilling and terrifying at the same time. His biggest hang up had been what would happen if there was an emergency in Suna while he was away. Kankuro assured Gaara, however, that if something serious happened he would send for his brother. It was the family bungalow they would be staying in, after all, and it was only a few hours from Suna.

"So, I've been wondering," Beki rested her chin on his shoulder. "How does a Kage get away with playing hooky for the weekend?"

"I rescheduled all my meetings," Gaara explained. "Otherwise the place can run itself for a few days with Kankuro at the helm."

"Isn't that, I don't know, a little irresponsible?" Beki asked, her tone curious and not critical.

"What can I say," Gaara reached up and stroked her hair. "You make me irresponsible."

Beki could tell by the way he was looking at her that Gaara wanted to kiss her. Knowing that the person she was so attracted to desired her gave Beki a thrill. Being so free and alone together sent her usual thoughts of discretion and propriety drifting away. Instead, she was tangled up in him. It was easy to forget the small details about a person when they were away for so long. She suddenly became acutely aware of how much she missed him in his absence. Part of her worried how she could handle the separation after being alone with Gaara for a whole weekend; the longer they were together the harder the parting became.

Gaara had been sure Beki would agree to the visit so he took the liberty of stocking the place with some food and cleaning the bungalow up beforehand. The place was fairly secluded on an unused stretch of beach. His family had brought him there when he was almost too young to remember it. On the fraying edges of his memory he could vaguely recall playing with the sand and holding Temari and Kankuro's hands as they walked along the surf. He prayed that this visit with Beki would let them build some good memories together, fleeting though they may be.

It was almost sunset when the bungalow came into view. The wind coming in off the ocean was cold and unbroken upon Gaara's sand cloud, so Beki clung to him tightly for warmth. As they came in for a landing, Gaara' put up a small wall of sand around her to protect her from the icy wind rushing up to meet them. He set them down right outside the small bungalow. Gaara watched her expression out of the corner of his eye. She said nothing until he opened the door and let her inside.

"This place is cute," Beki said as she surveyed the shack. It was the size of an inner-city apartment with two bedrooms barely large enough for the double beds they held, a kitchenette, and right off the entrance was the narrowest bathroom Beki had ever seen. They would be climbing over each other to as they moved through the house and would probably be catching each other's elbows along the way. On the other hand, Beki thought being forced into such close quarters together was intimate and sort of charming.

"Are you hungry?" Gaara asked as he put their bags in the marginally larger of the two bedrooms.

"I'm okay for now," Beki said as she opened the fridge. "Oh, we're doing tacos?"

"Is that alright?" Beki couldn't see him but she could hear the slightest hint of worry in his voice.

"Yes, Gaara, that's fine," Beki chuckled to herself and gave him an impish look. "I love how you ask if tacos are okay but you just assume we'll be sharing a bed tonight."

Gaara stopped dead and started to apologize but her laughing stopped him in his tracks. She was just joking, Gaara thought with relief.

It always amazed Beki how someone as badass as the Kazekage was so meek in her presence. She pulled off her shirt and pants and laid them over one of the two chairs at the at the kitchen table. Beki had worn her swimsuit underneath her outfit because she couldn't wait to get in the water. It had been a long time since she had visited a beach, and the idea of running around with someone who controlled sand was thrilling to say the least.

Gaara walked out and stopped at the sight of her. His eyes widened Beki's breasts, which were barely contained by the flowery fabric. "Sorry," Beki chuckled. "I brought this one with me from Getsu and I guess it's too small on me now. I didn't have time to buy a new one on such short notice."

He shook his head almost violently. "I-Its fine. Really, I think it's quite attractive on you." He did his best to keep his eyes on her face as he spoke but it was as if those pale peachy mounds had their own gravitational pull.

"So, are we going to go play or what?" Beki asked as she walked towards the door.

"Yes," the faintest hint of pink had creeped into Gaara's cheeks as his gaze dropped to her butt. The bikini bottoms were too small on her as well; almost half of her plump rear was exposed under the ruffles. This was the most of Beki he had ever seen. Not that he had ever found any flaws in her physically, but after witnessing the grandeur of her body Gaara was convinced he couldn't have designed a more perfect woman.

Beki turned her head and looked at him after the long pause, catching him in the act of ogling her. She raised an eyebrow and his gaze dropped to the rug. "I'll go change."

In his absence, Beki stole a look at herself in the bathroom mirror. A flush crept up her neck as she saw how downright scandalous her swimsuit was. Everything interesting was barely covered as it was but if one good wave swept by Gaara would catch an eyeful. Beki hugged herself self-consciously. For a moment, she considered covering back up with her t shirt. Then again, Gaara seemed to have liked what he saw, she thought. Beki unfolded her arms and surveyed her body more objectively. She didn't have anything to be ashamed of. Gaara catching an eyeful of her goods would be exactly the sort of thing that should happen on a romantic getaway. A soft knock on the bathroom door snapped Beki back to attention.

"Are you ready?" Gaara's voice was soft and almost sounded vulnerable. Beki opened the door and immediately wondered how someone like him could ever feel defenseless. Between his regular training and carrying around the goliath gourd, Gaara was cut like a diamond. Beki caught her gaze lingering on the tight ripples of his body and felt a heat rising inside her. Damn, she thought as she surveyed the Kazekage. He's one hell of a catch. Forget his past, he could still be a dangerous murderer and I'd still have a hard time keeping my eyes off him.

"Yeah," Beki finally managed to squeak as Gaara led her out the door onto the beach.

"The reason I wanted to bring you out here was because I screwed it up last time," Gaara explained. "When you were on the beach with the Konoha shinobi and I put you in time out."

"You didn't screw that up, I did," Beki sighed. "I got too competitive and let the Drowned Maiden take over."

Gaara shook his head. "No. I ruined that time we had together and I won't do that again."

"So, what does a sand user do on the beach?" Beki shielded her eyes from the bright afternoon sun.

"I'm a master sandcastle builder," Gaara said with a matter of fact tone. "Give me a building and I can make it."

Beki's eyes lit up. "Can you build me a mech and then fly me around in it?!"

Gaara sighed. He shouldn't have expected anything else from Beki. "I don't need people calling in reports about a giant robot flying around. Our secret tryst would be discovered without a doubt."

"Fine," Beki pouted. "Then, Mr. Master Castle Builder, I want your finest fortress!"

"Alright," Gaara took a few steps back and held up his hands self-consciously. "Stay still."

"Okay," Beki put her hands on her hips. "Why?"

Before Gaara gave her an answer, the sand under Beki's feet began to move. It gathered quickly and raised her in the air with such suddenness that she almost fell off the platform. Walls grew up the platform around her until she was completely boxed in. Beki didn't have time to cry out before arrow slits and a window formed in the wall. Instinctively, she walked over to it and looked down at Gaara. A chill crept down her back. Beki couldn't tell if that was from the stony glare on Gaara's face or the sudden absence of the sun on her back. He had completed the roof on the "room" he had raised around her.

As fascinating as it was watching the rest of the castle walls sprout up out of the beach like daisies, Beki caught herself staring at Gaara. She had never seen him at work. Gaara had used his sand around her plenty of times to do small things but she had never witnessed his power to this scale. Her father's words echoed in her head: He popped people. Like balloons.

It was easy for her to imagine that Gaara was capable of such a feat now that she had witnessed a demonstration of his true power. As kind, quiet, and considerate as he was, Gaara had earned his position as Kazekage. He was in a league of his own, possibly stronger than her father. Beki wondered if it was the same case with Tsunade. She had never really thought about how powerful the Hokage must be but if Gaara was setting the standard Beki thought it might be wise to not tease the Hokage anymore.

In a way, this revelation was exciting. Beki smiled to herself as she watched Gaara. This amazing person, this incredible shinobi, was hers.

She cupped her hands around her mouth and called out, "I WANT A MOAT!" His concentration was lost and Beki saw the portcullis he was installing buckle. It held its shape but Gaara gave a sigh.

"I imagine you'll want water in this moat?" He didn't raise his voice up to her. Beki had to lean out the window to hear him and in the process nearly exposed her breasts. She set them back into place and looked around the room.

"How do I get down?" Beki's eyes searched the walls and the floor for a trapdoor. Was she supposed to dig her way out? Would that mess with the structural integrity and bring this whole monstrosity down on her?

"You don't," Gaara's voice was casual as he removed a massive ring of sand around the entire castle with a hand gesture like he was picking up a frying pan. Beki swallowed nervously as he used the sand to make the walls even higher. Her vantage point was high, but Beki couldn't see him anymore.

"I'm your prisoner now?" Beki was mostly joking along with him. She had always been a little claustrophobic. Even though the room was twice as big as Beki's bedroom at Hinata's house, the knowledge she couldn't leave of her own accord was upsetting. Gaara's unresponsiveness was adding to her feeling of unease. "Gaara?"

Beki looked back out the window to see water coming in a canal built under the walls. It flowed steadily into the moat, slowly but evenly raising the water level all around the castle. Gaara reappeared on his sand cloud as he came over the outermost wall.

"If you were talking to me I was redirecting the ocean water," Gaara said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"It's okay, I was just wondering how I was supposed to escape my sand prison," Beki flicked a clod out the window. The wall beside her parted like a curtain and Gaara held out his hand to her.

"Are you ready to see your castle?"

Beki took his hand, grateful to get outside again. The breeze had picked back up and Beki shivered. She pressed herself against Gaara as he flew her in a ring around his masterpiece. The more time Beki spent with Gaara the more aware she became of his temperature. He ran a lot hotter than she did; hotter than most people she had known. She figured it had something to do with his sand armor retaining his body heat or reflecting the sun. Any way she looked at it, though, the sensation of his warm skin against hers was comforting.

"I have to admit this is pretty cool," Beki smiled up at him. "What a fun way to use your gifts."

Gaara gave her an affectionate squeeze. "If only I'd thought of it when I was younger."

Every so often when Gaara was with Beki he would get a dark expression on his face. Seiichiro had worn the same world weary look many times. In her experiences with her dad, Beki knew the best course of action was distraction. "Hey, there's a sandbar in the moat," Beki hip bumped him. "It kind of looks like a rock in the middle of the water."

Gaara was silent for a moment as he observed the small island in the moat. "And every rock needs a king."

…

"Okay, same rules as last time," Beki rolled her shoulders. "Well, I mean, this time no jutsu."

"Afraid you'll lose?" Gaara's face was passive but there was a spark of challenge in his eyes.

Beki's fingers twitched but she kept herself from forming fists. He's trying to goad you into allowing jutsu. If it was anyone else you would have this in the bag, Beki, but he's a kage. You'll have to be tricky to win this one.

Beki shook her head. "Not falling for it, nice try. Anyone stupid enough to agree to let you use sand in any fight is just asking for an ass kicking."

"If you say so," Gaara put his hands behind his back, seemingly at ease. Beki knew better. He would be ready to react at any moment with power and speed. This early into the tussle Gaara would be testing her out, seeing what she would fall for.

"Whenever you're ready," Beki got into a starting stance, crouching slightly and her arms cautiously at her sides. This would be her toughest match of King of the Rock ever.

"Begin," Gaara said as he folded his arms.

I'm at a loss here, Beki thought. He's seen me fight in the chunin exams but I have no idea what his combat style is like. Anything goes, I guess.

Beki started at him the way she came at her father during training. It was a full-frontal assault that at the last moment before impact she would drop low for a tackle. If Gaara dodged, it was easy enough to use her momentum to tuck into a roll. If she successfully landed the hit, he would be knocked into the water. He watched her approach casually as if her method was boring and predictable. When Beki tucked into her tackle, however, he barely managed to step out of the way. As she rolled back onto her feet Beki smiled to herself. On the ground without his sand to support him Gaara was out of sorts.

Before she could finish her thought Gaara was beside her and giving her a gentle shove towards the waterline mere inches away. Beki spun and caught his wrist to pull herself back safely onto the sand. He grabbed her other wrist in retribution. Beki tried to simultaneously free her trapped wrist and get a good hold on Gaara. Her attempts were going nowhere fast, so Beki snapped her trapped wrist free and shoved him away to gain some space. Gaara grabbed at her blindly as he lost his balance. His fingers caught hold of the strap of Beki's bikini top and it snapped free. A brief pang of panic tugged at Beki's chest but she reminded herself she was technically in a fight. Gaara, on the other hand, was instantly distracted by her exposed breast.

"S-sorry, I-" He stammered, averting his gaze awkwardly as his cheeks flushed in embarrassment. Beki took the opportunity to shove him as hard as she could. Gaara fell into the water with a loud splash, the water swallowing him all at once. Beki stood triumphantly on the sandbar with her hands on her hips. When he surfaced she smiled down at him smugly.

"I'm King of the Rock."

Suddenly the sand beneath Beki's feet slid out from under her, sending her flat on her back. Before she had a chance to sit up Gaara was on top of her, pinning her in place.

"You cheated!" Beki glared at him as she struggled against his hold.

"So did you," Gaara didn't give her an inch.

Beki tried to kick his legs out from under him but Gaara held steady with rocklike resolve. "How did I cheat?

"Flashing is a cheap tactic," Gaara pressed his forehead to hers.

"It did a good job distracting you," Beki knocked her head against his playfully. "I could have pushed you over with a leaf."

"You knocked me over by pushing me," Gaara's brow furrowed in confusion. "Are you saying you've learned some sort of knockdown jutsu from the Konoha shinobi? Do they know?"

Beki sighed to herself. The Kazekage's train of thought is derailed by another lethally placed metaphor. She kissed Gaara, knowing full well that had been his original intention when he swept her off her feet. He froze up at the surprise lip to lip contact. Beki wrapped her arms around Gaara and he began to relax into her embrace. She tasted of salt and the warmth of her kiss starkly contrasted against Beki's cold skin. He ran his fingers along the curve of her waist, smiling to himself as goosebumps formed at his touch. Beki pulled away suddenly, wincing as if in pain. Gaara immediately gave her space, afraid that he had somehow hurt her.

Beki caught sight of his concerned expression and pouted. "You're mean,"

A chill went through him. This was it. He had hurt her.

"Don't tickle me when we're kissing," Beki folded her arms. "That is definitely cheating. I am vulnerable and you're taking advantage."

Gaara let out a soft sigh of relief and pressed his forehead to hers. He needed to learn how to relax around her. It wouldn't happen right away, but the Kazekage was sure if he kept up his jumpy, frightened animal act it would put Beki off.

"You're cold?" He raised his hands and the sand beneath Beki's feet stirred. "I could put a sand armor on you to keep you warm."

Beki waved her hand dismissively as she pulled herself up into a sitting position. "No, it's okay. We should go inside and start dinner."

It was inefficient to walk back to the cottage from their impromptu castle but Gaara liked walking with Beki. What had begun as a friendly interest in Beki's company had grown into almost a physical need for Gaara to have her by his side. As terrified as he was of messing up around her, Beki's presence had a calming effect on him. Somehow all his other responsibilities and worries faded away into white noise in the background. As they strolled along, Beki reached out and took ahold of his hand. It was an unconscious gesture, like the way she would occasionally reach up and brush her hair out of her face. Gaara could feel the warmth of her touch radiating in his hand and considered how nicely her hand fit in his.

Once they reached the cottage, Beki let go of his hand to open the door. Gaara bit back a protest knowing how childish it would be to ask her to keep holding on. They both headed to the kitchen to start preparing dinner. It was small and claustrophobic when one person was trying to work in there, so when the two teenagers attempted to work in tandem it turned into a sea of elbows and knees. Gaara backed up to avoid a grease splatter, knocking into Beki, who almost dropped the freshly chopped lettuce and tomatoes all over the floor.

"Gaara, I can handle making some tacos," Beki said as she set down the cutting board. She gently put a hand on his shoulder and the other around the spatula in his hand to muscle him out of the kitchen. "Why don't you go get cleaned up while I finish with dinner?"

As Beki strong armed him away from the stove Gaara felt the need to protest. Beki was his guest and he was incredibly uncomfortable with having her make dinner. The last thing Gaara wanted was for Beki to think he expected her to cook for him or worse yet that he was incapable of taking care of her. He watched Beki silently for a moment as she almost absentmindedly stirred the meat. Gaara concluded Beki wanted to help, possibly to demonstrate her domestic prowess, and conceded to her will.

The rucksack with his belongings was on the floor near the entrance to the bedroom. Gaara stuck his hand inside and fished out clean clothes. Before he had brought Beki out to the cottage, Gaara had ensured that the bathroom was stocked with all the essential toiletries. The smell of spiced meat cooking and the sound of it sizzling in the pan followed him into the bathroom. He turned on the shower and let it run for a moment. The water heater was old and seldom used so it took some time for the water to get warm. Now that Gaara was alone, he felt safe enough to let out a sigh of relief. So far so good, Gaara. Just a few more happily uneventful hours and we can call this trip a success.

Gaara stuck his hand under the water to test the temperature. He shook the tepid droplets off and leaned against the wall as he reflected on the day so far. Beki had been so feisty with him, which he knew meant she was feeling comfortable and confident around Gaara. It was strange for Gaara to be treated that way. It seemed to be typical behavior for young adults to hassle their friends; he had seen teenagers in his village behave that way. The only person who had ever felt brave enough to sass Gaara was Kankuro. A dark shadow crossed over Gaara's face as he realized Kankuro had only started teasing him after he became Kazekage. He shook his head. That meant Gaara had made a lot of progress and hopefully others would feel that comfortable around him as well.

His memories took him to their match of King of the Hill. Gaara had tried to appeal to Beki's sense of pride so he could use his sand but she hadn't fallen for it. Gaara had come to understand Beki's periodic challenges to his authority was a method of bonding. In part, he imagined that it was also borne from a desire to demonstrate the ability to hold her own against him because he was the Kazekage.

The water was finally warm enough to climb in. Gaara tossed his still damp trunks in the sink and climbed gratefully into the steaming shower. He continued reliving the memory as the water gradually warmed him up. His mind's eye locked on the image of Beki's swimsuit top snapping. Gaara mentally slowed down the moment as the fabric fell and exposed her milky breast. Without skipping a beat, Beki had turned the accident to her advantage. She had thrown Gaara in the water like a chump, never once thinking to cover herself. Beki didn't mind me seeing her, he thought.

Soon his thoughts wandered and the memories became less concrete. They ran together and blended into something better than reality. The feeling of Beki's body pressed against this, the warmth of her kiss, how she had writhed against him as they wrestled merged with that memory of how she had looked in that swimsuit. Gaara's brain tried to piece together what he had seen with what he hadn't seen yet. He imagined what Beki would look like completely naked and swallowed hard. There was a physical urge rising inside him that had been quiet at first but now was on the brink of becoming a primal need.

We never get to see each other, he thought. There's no telling when we'll have an opportunity like this again. I want this. Maybe she wants this, too.

The heat from the shower wasn't pairing well with the mass exodus of blood from Gaara's head to his lower body. He reached up and cranked back the heat. No, Gaara shook his head and put his face in his hands. He took a deep breath. I don't want Beki to think that's the only reason I made time for her. I won't pressure her into anything. Gaara let the water run over him and focused on his breathing to get the feeling to pass. He was so fixated on pulling himself together that he didn't hear the door open.