Hey everyone, here's the latest. Thank you so much for those of you who reviewed the last chapter, I appreciated the feedback. The romantic scene in that one was new for me so hearing what you all thought was really helpful. Enjoy!

The morning sun shone through the crack in the curtains, finally stirring Gaara from his slumber. He blinked in the bright light, raising his free hand to shield his eyes against it. As he regained consciousness he became aware of the numbness in his other arm. Beki had fallen asleep with her back pressed to his chest and was using his crooked arm as a pillow. Somehow, they managed to fall asleep while spooning, which after several hours was still comfortable aside from the numbed extremities. Gaara buried his face in Beki's neck and wrapped his free arm around her waist. He savored her scent and the softness of her bare skin against his. The flashes of the night before drifted back into his mind. He remembered tasting the salt of their sweat and Beki clawing at his back. He had been so worried about hurting her the whole time. Gaara felt a flush of embarrassment when he realized he had probably asked her if she was okay a hundred times, even after it was all finished. It was obvious the experience was painful for Beki and made it impossible for Gaara to enjoy himself. People always made it sound like making love was this incredible experience but all Gaara could think about was the way Beki's body tensed while she was underneath him. He held her a little tighter, feeling guilty for the pain he had caused her.

Beki let out a small groan. "What time is it?"

"Good morning to you, too." Gaara kissed her shoulder. "It's-" He looked at the clock in the corner. "Oh no."

"What?" Beki rolled over and sat up. Gaara jumped out of bed and immediately began throwing on his clothes. "I have a meeting with your father and Tsunade in ten minutes!"

"Shoot," Beki scrambled out of bed, stumbling when her foot got caught in the sheets. She turned while hopping on one foot to disengage from her bonds. "Here," She threw his jacket at him. "Are you going to make it?"

Gaara heaved a sigh. "I don't know. Do I look all right?" Beki walked around the bed and ran her fingers through his hair. "Your hair is always kind of a mess. I think you'll be okay." She began to pull on her clothes from the night before but had trouble finding her shirt. The shirt Gaara had lent her the night before was on the floor by the bed so she gave up and tossed it on while Gaara finished putting on his jacket. He opened the door to the common area of the suite to find Kankuro drinking coffee, his empty breakfast plate before him on the coffee table.

"Kankuro," Gaara said, his voice full of exasperation. "Why didn't you wake me up?!"

Kankuro took another sip of his cup. "Well for one," He gestured to his clothes, which upon closer inspection were covered with tiny gashes and tears. "You did this to me when you locked me up in the puppet."

"Really?" Gaara folded his arms. "You're going to let me embarrass myself in front of a fellow kage because I threw you in your own puppet?"

"I could have died!" Kankuro slammed his cup on the table. Gaara held out his arms. "You took all the weapons out!"

Kankuro gestured to his clothes again. "It has screws and shit in there that hold it all in place! I was almost skewered!"

"Can we take this conversation on the road?" Gaara walked over to the balcony and threw open the doors. "Beki, will you be okay from here?"

She shrugged. "I'll get home just fine. You had better get to that meeting or my dad will come looking for you. That's the last thing we need right now."

"There's still some toast and stuff on the tray if you want it," Kankuro waved at the table as he walked to join his brother on the balcony.

"Thanks, have fun," Beki waved them off as they flew away. She looked at the tray of food and sighed. As much as she would love to sit and enjoy a leisurely breakfast, the longer she took to get back to the Hyuuga compound the more she would have to explain. Beki threw on her shoes and hopped out the balcony onto the ground below. It wasn't hard to navigate the back streets home. Beki knew it was going to take some doing to sneak into Hinata's house without rousing much suspicion, but she had twenty minutes of walking to figure out how she was going to do that.

…

"So, tell me, Gaara, what possible excuse could you have for locking your brother in a murder puppet?!" Kankuro's yelling wouldn't disturb anyone considering the height Gaara was flying them at. He took a moment to think about a response that would sate his brother's fury. There was only one thing he could share and that was the truth. "I…I got laid."

Kankuro fell silent. "Fine. If that's what it took for you to become a man, sure. Whatever." Kankuro's voice dropped to a whisper: "Slut."

"It…it wasn't how I thought it would be." Gaara folded his arms. "I think I hurt her."

Kankuro sighed, knowing this was another of those moments he had to pick up the slack his father had left them. "It never is. In the movies, they make it seem like it's this awesome thing right out of the gate. Its romantic and hot all at the same time. Let me break it to you: it will be awkward as hell for a long time until you guys figure out what you're doing. She's going to get hurt. You're going to get hurt. It's going to seem like, 'this can't possibly be normal. Its gross and kind of uncomfortable'. No, I'm sorry to say, but that's exactly how it is."

Gaara tensed. "Let's talk about this after the meeting." Kankuro shrugged. "Hey, you brought it up."

The Hokage's mansion fast approached. Gaara estimated they would only be three minutes late but he was upset nonetheless. He was never late to meetings. "You guys were safe, right?" Kankuro's voice tore through his thoughts like a saw.

"Yes, of course," Gaara sighed. Kankuro poked his ribs, knowing Gaara was uncomfortable and was unable to resist his big brother urge to pry. "It was a fresh one, right? If you leave them in your wallet too long they don't work as well."

"Kankuro, I swear, if you don't stop right now I'm going to drop you through the sand." Gaara clenched his fists. He had too much going on at once and Kankuro knew it. This was his form of revenge for locking him in the puppet. "I need to get it together. I have to go face her father and act like nothing happened."

"That shouldn't be a problem," Kankuro stretched. "You usually come off an emotionless bastard so your poker face is flawless."

Gaara heaved a deep sigh that was almost loud enough to cover the sound of Kankuro's screams as he was dropped through the sand cloud onto the rooftops below. "I did warn him." Gaara shrugged as he landed on the Hokage's mansion.

…

Beki scanned the perimeter and confirmed the coast was clear. She used chakra to cautiously scale the wall up to her bedroom window, popped the catch inside with her bobby pin, and climbed inside. I'm in the clear.

Now that she was home, in her own space, the events of the night before finally began to process. Beki took a seat on the bed and held her knees. It all seemed so surreal. The day had begun like any other, then it spiraled out of control and Seiichiro had almost murdered Gaara because of a misunderstanding. The three had dinner and worked it all out, which had made Beki feel much better about herself. Gaara and Beki had then hit the big "I love you" milestone. Beki smiled to herself at the memory of Gaara's sweet, awkward, and genuine babble as he confessed his feelings for her.

Things got dicey once she headed over to see him later that evening. He had given her another half assed proposal, which even in retrospect made her feel off. Beki hated how casually he threw those words around, like they had no weight at all. It had turned into a fight that they had somehow worked through so seamlessly that it had transitioned into the bedroom.

The smile faded from Beki's face. The timeline of her evening had hit the point where she had to come to terms with what they had done in the dark all alone. Beki was a physically affectionate person and part of the reason she was so into Gaara was the physical attraction between them. Feeling his hands on her skin, his breath on her neck, and all the other manifestations of his desire for her had been unlike anything she had ever experienced. There had been a longing deep inside Beki that she had previously been unaware of. In that moment, the strange hunger awoke and she had needed him. She wanted him to be inside her.

Beki had an idea of what sex was supposed to feel like. At first, things were going exactly the way she had thought with all the steamy kisses and how thrilling all the touching was. Then everything just went wrong. Gaara had tried to be gentle but it hurt. Beki had plenty of conditioning on how to ignore pain in the field. She had pushed through having her head bashed in against Hidiki and being electrocuted by her cousin. This pain was different in that it was unlike any pain she had ever felt before. The only way she could think to describe it was like being torn open from the inside. Beki felt a mixture of revulsion and guilt about the whole experience.

Gaara had been nothing but considerate, constantly asking if Beki was all right and if she wanted him to stop. Beki knew that the pain and the mess would be there, no matter who it had been with, and so she was grateful it had been with someone as kind as Gaara. She was aware, however, that the experience had been just as traumatizing for him. Ever since the Shukaku, Beki knew Gaara was terrified of harming her physically. The night before it had been impossible for Beki to hid her physical response to the pain. There was way to hide the mess, either. Beki shuddered and curled up in a ball on the bed. It was surreal, how everything had changed in a single night. Gaara had gone from her boyfriend to her lover and Beki had gone from a girl into a woman. When looking at the big picture, nothing had changed. There was some soreness and a few awkward memories but otherwise these were subtle shifts. It was like a drop that made ripples in the water, the long-term effects of which wouldn't be felt for some time to come.

A soft knock at the door set Beki back up into a sitting position. Before she could speak, Hinata poked her nose in the room. "Oh hi, Beki. You're home."

Beki was instantly seized with fear. Something told her she shouldn't advertise that she had sex with the Kazekage the night before. The Hyuuga would probably cast me out for a heathen.

"Oh, I uh, got in late last night. You guys weren't up yet so I went out for a run. I just got back and I used the window in case you were still sleeping."

Hinata leaned against the door and gave Beki a humoring look. "Funny, I checked your bed last night and this morning. You weren't there either time."

Beki froze up, unable to find a way to talk herself out of this.

"That's Gaara's shirt, isn't it?" Hinata asked. Beki opened her mouth to reply but Hinata pointed at the shirt. "It has the emblem for Suna on the shirt pocket."

Beki sat there, open mouthed and defeated. She gave up and prepared herself to bare her soul.

"Beki, I'm not your mom," Hinata explained. "What you do in your personal life is none of my business unless you choose to share it with me. I just wanted to know if you wanted pancakes."

This woman is a literal earth angel. Beki smiled, touched at just how good of a friend Hinata was. There was no judgement, no interrogation, just love and breakfast food. "Of course I want pancakes," Beki smiled.

"Then get downstairs, they're getting cold," Hinata smiled gently as she closed the door behind her. "Harlot."

"What?" Beki called out in surprise.

"Kidding," Hinata managed to slip in just before the door clicked shut.

Beki hopped off the bed and pulled off Gaara's shirt. At first, she considered hiding it but the notion seemed silly since the one person who might have a problem with it in the house had just given her a seal of approval. Instead, Beki folded it and left it on the table by her bedside and went looking for a replacement. There was a seafoam green crewneck sweater that had fallen off the hanger in her closet that looked sufficiently comfortable so Beki threw it on. The feeling of a clean shirt made her realize how grubby the rest of her felt. Beki risked incurring Hinata's housewifey wrath at being late to breakfast by quickly peeling off the socks, pants, and underwear from the night before. Beki put on a fresh pair of underwear and clean leggings. She took the stairs two at a time to find Naruto and Hinata already seated and enjoying their meal. Beki took up her spot at the kitchen table and began to pour syrup over her stack. Her eyes traveled along the table until they landed on Naruto's plate.

"How come he has Mr. Smiley and I don't?" Beki asked Hinata with a pout.

"What?" Naruto frowned down at his plate and then looked at Hinata.

"Now that Naruto lives here again I'm chopped liver?! No more whipped cream smiley faces and fresh fruit features for me?!" Beki whimpered.

"I'm sorry Beki, I ran out after Naruto's pancakes," Hinata apologized. "I'll make you Mr. Smiley next time."

"Then why did Naruto get it?" Beki feigned indignance. "I'm a guest in this house, you know."

Naruto noticed her tone and hopped in. "Well, you know, I'm obviously Hinata's favorite."

"Hey, all it would take me is some eyeliner whiskers and a pair of pigtails and I'd have you running for your money," Beki waved a loaded fork at him pseudo-threateningly. "Watch yourself, Uzumaki."

"Oh, you two," Hinata sighed. "How did I not notice the similarities earlier?"

After a few sips of coffee, a bite of pancakes, and pleasant company Beki felt much better about herself. No matter how awkward, challenging, and confusing the night before had been, it was behind her now. Things only could get better from here.

…

"Oh no," Gaara's eyes widened in horror as he flew back towards the inn on the sand cloud with Kankuro in tow. "I didn't kiss Beki goodbye this morning."

"So?" Kankuro shrugged. "You were in a hurry."

Gaara whirled around. "You don't understand! What if Beki thinks that I just used her for sex?!"

Kankuro rolled his eyes. "Yes, Gaara, you're totally the kind of player that's in it for the long con. You built a relationship with her over two years, met her father, had sex with her, and now you're going to fly off into the sunset on your sand cloud, putting another notch in your gourd."

"You really think so?!" Gaara reached up and held his forehead.

Kankuro watched his brother carefully. In less than twenty-four hours, Gaara had gotten him bitch slapped by a man the size of a refrigerator, locked him in one of his own puppets, and dropped him through the sand cloud to what could have been certain death.

"Yes." Kankuro said at last.

"I need to go talk to her right now," Gaara shook his head. "What a mess I've made."

…

Feeling her energy replenished, Beki decided to take a mid-morning stroll. She made her way out onto the road and headed for the woods beyond the compound. There were several nice walking paths that wove their way around the property that were long enough for Beki to get her fill of nature.

Beki had only barely crossed the tree line when she heard someone call her name. She paused, scanned her surroundings, and couldn't locate a source. I must be imagining it. Few flowers were in bloom this time of year but the world was rich and green nonetheless. The air was full of the clicking of cicadas and the chatter of birds. Beki carefully stepped over exposed roots, dried out and white like sloppily buried corpses, and ducked under low hanging branches that tugged at her clothes. Movement in the brush caught her attention. Beki dropped low and held perfectly still in case it was an attack. A fluffy gray squirrel emerged from the bush and regarded her carefully. Beki smiled at the creature and backed away respectfully. As she slowly rose to her full height, a hand grabbed ahold of her shoulder.

A scream escaped her lips as she whirled around, swinging with a closed fist at their face. Gaara took the full force of the hit directly in his cheek. The blow made him rotate with the strike, however his sand armor absorbed most of the damage. Hunks of the armor fell away and the skin beneath it was pink with irritation.

"Hi to you, too." He raised his hand to his cheek.

Beki pulled away her hand. "I'm so sorry," her gaze fell on her scraped knuckles. "You can't sneak up on me like that." I was wondering how I didn't detect the person approaching. I'm not surprised I couldn't sense Gaara coming.

"I, um, sorry about that." Gaara blinked away the water welling up in his eyes. "That…I felt that. Hell, even through the armor that smarts."

Beki shrugged apologetically. "Dad always said if I couldn't put a man down in one hit I was as good as dead."

"Good advice," Gaara gave her an awkward smile. "I'd certainly think twice about abducting you." Beki gave him a perplexed look and he shook his head. "That sounded a lot better in my head." Gaara eyed his girlfriend, trying to gauge how to proceed. Should he bring up that he forgot to kiss her or just go in for a make-up kiss? No, he shook his head. That can't be it. "So, it's nice out today," Beki's perplexed look dissolved into an embarrassed grimace. She doesn't even have to say anything for me to realize how awkward this is. We had sex last night and I'm talking about the weather.

"Yeah," Beki averted her gaze. "It's not too hot and not too cold. How was the meeting with my dad?"

"It went all right," Gaara scratched his neck. "I had buttoned my jacket wrong but no one said anything."

"Well that's good," Beki kicked at the dirt. The two stood speechless for a few moments and as the silence stretched the mood became increasingly more uncomfortable.

"Beki-" Gaara said at last.

"Gaara," Beki said at the same moment.

"You can-" Gaara held out his hands politely, as if giving her the floor.

Beki held up her hands. "No, it's okay. You can go. Really."

"I," Gaara sighed and centered himself. He reached out and took ahold of her hands. "I've been worried about you all day. How are you feeling?"

"Gaara, I'm fine," Beki looked up at him. "Thank you, but you don't have to worry about me."

"But last night, you were hurt and-" Gaara started but Beki put her finger over his lips.

"Shh," Beki shushed as she pulled him into a hug. "It did hurt. I won't lie about that but it had to happen at some point or another. I'm glad its behind us so maybe next time it can be less…uncomfortable. For both of us."

Gaara ran his fingers through her hair and held her head to his chest. He kissed the top of her head and rested his chin there, silently hoping that what she said was true. Gaara hated knowing that he had hurt her. She was the most important person in the world to him, the first person on his list to protect. Secretly, he was concerned that it would never get better. Sex between them would always be painful for her and it would always be an unpleasant experience. Then again, he loved her so much that he was certain there was a way around it, that if that was the case, they could still live happily together without sex as a part of their romantic life.

Beki snuggled into him, glad for his company. It was easier to deal with the problem together than alone. Seeing the Kazekage reminded her why she was having to sort this all out. He was worth the struggle because she loved him. Beki loved his kindness, his gentleness, and it really helped that he was so good looking. Beki smiled as she breathed in his scent. "You know, you didn't kiss me goodbye this morning." Gaara cringed. "I know, I'm so sorry. I realized after I had left but I was already so late…can you forgive me?"

Beki turned her mischievous grin on him. "Fine. Just know that I charge interest on missed kisses."

Gaara brushed Beki's hair out of her face. "That's fine with me."

…

It was almost sunset when Gaara arrived at the inn. Kankuro was sitting on one of the couches, his finished dinner before him. At the sight of his brother, Kankuro gestured at the covered plate across from him. "I ordered for you. It might still be hot."

"Thanks," Gaara took a seat and reached for the covered plate. Kankuro's expectant silence gave him pause. "What?"

"What what?" Kankuro struggled to suppress a grin.

"What's on the plate?" Gaara narrowed his eyes. It was probably a mechanical spider. Last time Kankuro acted like this, it was a mechanical spider in Gaara's desk drawer.

"Dinner!" Kankuro waved his arms. "What kind of brother do you think I am?!"

Gaara watched him for another moment before deciding it was worth the risk. He carefully raised the plate cover, his sand ready to defend. Before the cover had even cleared the brim of the plate, entire strips of condom packets began to spill out like confetti. Gaara dropped the lid on the table in shock, spilling a variety of adult items all over the floor. He spotted fuzzy handcuffs, a blindfold, and at least three dubious looking packages before he instinctively kicked the table, flipping it over on Kankuro.

Kankuro by this point didn't care. He was paralyzed with laughter, the metallic click of wrappers falling on the floor and Gaara's horrified face all he needed to pass happily into the afterlife.

"What the hell, Kankuro," Gaara spat.

"You aren't eighteen yet," Kankuro choked. "I figured I'd help you out. At the rate you two are going, you have to be careful. We don't want any tiny Kazekages running around just yet."

Gaara glared at Kankuro but then his gaze softened. "You know, I really appreciate this. I know how embarrassing it must have been for you to have to ask the people in the shop about what people who had sex would need."

Kankuro laid on the floor in stunned silence, feeling like he had been verbally kicked in the balls. "I don't even know you anymore."

"Well, I am a man now," Gaara walked towards his room. "Someday you'll know what that's like."

…

Somewhere in the depths of the darkest recesses of one of Orochimaru's secret labs, Miki scrubbed away at the floor of the morgue. The coroner on duty was an asshole and resented that Miki had been assigned as his apprentice. Knowing he was in a position of authority over her, he constantly sent her on pointless or difficult errands, performed his work as sloppily as possible, or her least favorite, he made her go collect the recently deceased from the other labs.

He had knocked a tray containing the stomach contents of the body on the gurney above her all over the floor, as far from the floor drain as possible. Miki had on her face mask and goggles but the smell cut through everything.

"Nomura," Doctor Morioka spat her name more than he said it. "Take these autopsy results up down to Lab 7 when you're done there."

"Yes, Dr. Morioka," Miki said in a perfect professional tone. The job in the morgue was unpleasant but it beat a lot of the other work available in the bases. Miki had to pull an embarrassing amount of favors to get herself in one of the labs. Many of the positions were what was considered "disposable" work. Miki's time in Otogaukre taught her disposables had a life expectancy of five months max. At least working for the asshole doctor meant she could learn some valuable medical skills, which would help keep her away from dangerous menial labor.

The partially digested curry and vegetables now properly disposed of, Miki removed her protective gear, washed her hands, dried them on a fresh towel, and took the papers. The Doctor tried to trip her on the way out but Miki sidestepped it without comment. Focus, Miki. Walking through the halls was a mind game all its own. You had to simultaneously look incredibly busy and on the brink of murder to dissuade any casual stabbings. She had taken a pen knife to the thigh her first week and was always afraid she was going to pick up a matching scar. The stairs down into the deeper sections of the base were always dangerous but Miki was confident it was too early for ruffians to be about yet.

When she arrived at her floor, Miki pushed open the double doors and took a left at the fork up ahead. Lab Seven was in the same corridor as Lab Six and Lab Eight, its doors directly at the end of the hall. Miki stood silently ten feet from the entrance, mentally preparing herself to go inside. Without warning, the papers in her hand were yanked away. Before she could even cry out in surprise, she was smacked in the head with the autopsy report.

"Boop," Kabuto pulled away the papers with a smile.

"Oh hey," Miki sighed with relief. "I thought it was someone whose murderous intent wasn't so obvious."

"Murderous, me?" Kabuto frowned. "I'm hurt, Miki."

"Yeah, whatever," Miki held out her hand expectantly. "Hand over the report."

Kabuto widened his eyes in surprise. "Well look at you, ordering around the village's number two man like he's your personal stooge. I'm impressed, Nomura."

"I just know that you would never get between me and doing the good Lord Orochimaru's work." Miki raised her chin confidently. She opened and closed her fingers. "Gimme."

Kabuto handed them over with a bow. "Your autopsy results, Ms. Nomura." Miki snatched them and thumbed through the pages. She wouldn't put it past Yakushi to yank a section to see if she noticed before her boss came down on her for it. While her attention was on the pages, Kabuto rested an elbow on top of her head.

"I'm not that short. Stop it," Miki wiggled to escape. "You're on your tip toes!"

"Shh," Kabuto pulled her close, locking her head under his arm in a preemptive noogie position. "So what is it about Lab Seven that's got you so spooked? Is it the exposure experiments, all black and purple and crumbly?"

"No," Miki latched on to his arm and attempted to pry it away. She knew her efforts were useless. Kabuto looked like a wimp but had an unrivaled vice grip. "It's the source of the exposure."

Kabuto gave a soft chuckle and tossed her towards the doors. "Well, best be off then. Shouldn't keep the doctor waiting."

Miki fixed her hair and took a deep breath as she walked through the doors. There it was, the resident glacier. The thing had been here since before the hideout had become a base. They had never finished the room; the walls were still just roughly hewn stone. The body of ice was as big as a house. Normally Miki could just ignore such a thing as an eccentric decoration but this was no ordinary block of glowed softly from within, illuminating the room in its bluish candescence. Once again, such a thing would be pretty if it weren't for the malevolent rage that pumped out of it nonstop. Being in the room for more than ten minutes was known to drive people completely insane. They would pound on the ice until their hands were bloody stumps, screaming about "Making the voice stop".

"Oh, Nomura," The sleepy-eyed tech held out his hand. "Is this for Subject 22D?"

"Yes," Miki handed it over, her eyes never leaving the ice. The tech followed her gaze and sighed.

"People always think it's going to do something. It just has that kind of vibe, doesn't it?"

Miki had to admit she was always on alert around it. Something was in that ice and it hated everything. "I guess so." She looked at the tech. "Has it ever like, talked to you? Like people say it does?"

The tech shrugged. "The people who work this lab are on a constant low dose antipsychotic."

"That's rough," Miki cringed sympathetically. "But I know it's better than the protocols in other labs."

The tech looked around, confirming that the other tech was busy restraining a subject. "There was this one time though," He began. "We aren't ever supposed to be in here alone. That's the other protocol. This one day, our last subject snapped and was smashing his face into the ice so bad the only other tech on duty had to rush him to the ER."

Miki kept her face passive and disinterested just in case the other tech glanced over. She didn't want to get the kid in trouble for being sociable. The tech watched her face. Miki gave him a nod as the all clear and he continued. "So, I was in here alone for about twenty minutes. Nothing happened at first, and nothing had ever happened before so it wasn't like I was looking for something. Fifteen minutes into my vigil, I thought I heard someone call out to me. I turned to see if the other tech was back and the damn glacier flickered. I didn't say a word about it until after my shift and they put me on suicide watch for a week."

Miki shuddered involuntarily, her eyes shifting to the sentient ice. As she walked out of the lab, she shook her head. And people wonder why I'm so happy to be working in the morgue.