Gaara and Tenten made the efforts to see each other as much as possible, even if that meant maybe seeing each other for a few hours each visit. Shikamaru tried to help out his brother-in-law by assigning Tenten missions in the Sand Village. The first time she had an assignment in the Sand Village, she had planned to stay at an inn, but Gaara insisted that she should stay at the Kazekage's residence unless it were necessary for the mission to spend the night somewhere else. She agreed to that arrangement because it was the only way to see Gaara. With his schedule and her mission duties, they were lucky to get together for a couple of hours at night. Even if they could only be together for a short time, they made sure to enjoy each other's company and cherish those moments until the next time.
They have been seeing each other for three months at that point. Tenten had completed a mission in the Sand Village and had to go back to the Leaf Village for another mission that afternoon. She was going to take the morning train to the Leaf Village to make it on time to meet with her team.
Tenten went to Gaara's office to say bye. When she opened the door, she found Temari there.
"Hi Tenten, I have good news for you. Your mission for this afternoon got postponed. You need to report to the Leaf in two days so that you can stay for tonight".
Tenten was happy to hear about the postponement of her mission so she could stay a few more days with Gaara. "I guess I can stay, but what is tonight?"
"We have to attend this completely boring, fancy dinner with the feudal lords. But it would be more fun if you come with us".
The prospect of attending a fancy event with Gaara was appealing to Tenten, but she did not have anything appropriate to wear. She only brought with herself her mission gear.
"Maybe Temari can let you borrow something", Gaara suggested.
Temari responded to the suggestion in a scolding tone, "What are you saying, little brother? You are the Kazekage. I am sure you can afford to buy a dress for your girlfriend".
This comment got Gaara and Tenten by surprise. They had never defined their relationship or referred to each other as boyfriend and girlfriend. Gaara was even more mortified with the comment because it made him look like he was cheap. He did not mean to come out that way. He just did not think of that idea of buying a dress because he had never shopped for clothes.
"I apologize for my suggestion. I am just unaware of where to get a dress."
The older sister put on her mission-ready face. "Leave it to me. Tenten has the day off. We can go shopping."
Temari took Tenten to some local stores. As kunoichi, they were more interested in weapons than in dresses. However, Temari was mission-oriented. Her mission for the day was to make sure Tenten looked like a princess. She was the biggest supporter of that relationship.
Since it was a formal event with a bunch of know-it-alls elderly and rich people, they decided to go for something traditional and got a pink kimono with a burgundy sash. A little bit of a change from Tenten's usual qipao dresses. Temari thought that the color combination would look nice next to Gaara's brown formal wear.
Temari got ready before everyone else because she wanted to take pictures. She was the embodiment of a mother before sending her kids to prom. Gaara was the second one to be ready. He thanked her for taking Tenten shopping and switched to work topics as usual. But then, Tenten showed up. She wore her hair down with a light purple flower to the side and some light makeup. Gaara took a second to process Tenten's appearance. She looked radiant. He nervously said, "You look beautiful tonight."
"That color looks great on you. Okay, get close to each other for the picture. Common, Tenten, hold Gaara's arm." Temari instructed.
After some pictures, Kankuro finally arrived, also dressed in formal attire, "No one wants to take a picture of me? Rude".
At the party, people noticed that Gaara had brought a date. The attendees rushed to say hi and, more importantly, to find out who this woman was.
The feudal lord hosting the event approached the couple. "Lord Kazekage, your presence fills me with joy. May I ask who is this lovely lady?"
"Thank you for the invitation. This is my girlfriend, Tenten. She is a Jonin from the Leaf Village that specializes in ninja weapons."
After the feudal lord left, Tenten turned to see Gaara's face, "Girlfriend?"
Gaara calmly replied, "I think of you as my girlfriend. I apologize if I said something out of place."
"So, that makes you my boyfriend?"
Gaara replied in a matter-of-fact tone, "Yes."
"Okay, boyfriend."
Gaara felt good being with Tenten in public as a boyfriend and girlfriend. He had some reservations because of his position, but he had proved to be a dedicated Kazekage. He was happy to be able to hold her hand in public.
It was a fantastic night. Although Gaara had to meet with some people about work, they spent most of the time together. Gaara's siblings were happy to see their brother in love. The Sand siblings and Tenten went back to the Kazegage's residency at the end of the night. Gaara walked Tenten to her room.
"Thank you for the evening, Tenten."
A very flirty Tenten touching his chest playfully responded, "Thank you for inviting me and this beautiful kimono."
Gaara kissed Tenten and held her tight to his body because he wanted to remember her scent. Tenten stopped him for a second, "I am not ready to say good night yet."
Like the gentleman he was, he suggested getting a cup of tea on his terrace, but Tenten suggested something different, "How about if we stay in my room to chat for a little bit."
Gaara was not ready to say good night, either. However, in his position, he could not just disappear. His guards needed to know his location in case of an emergency. "Tenten, give me one minute. I will knock your door". Gaara asked his escorts for some space and discretion. He asked someone to keep an eye on his chamber's entrance just in case an emergency arose.
He knocked on Tenten's door. She opened the door a little bit so that Gaara could come in. "Hey, boyfriend." Gaara was a bit surprised to see that she had removed the sash of the kimono, but she kept it closed with her hands.
Seductively, Tenten welcomed Gaara to her room, "I wanted to show you something else that I bought today... for you."
Tenten opened her kimono to show him the lingerie she bought. It was nothing scandalous, but since he usually only wore sports bras, this was quite the change for her. It was a lacey set of panties and bra in a lavender color like the flower she was wearing in her hair. Gaara was simply speechless. Tenten looked so strikingly beautiful that he didn't know how to react. He would be lying if he did not admit he thought about her body before or the possibility to be together intimately. It seemed the Tente was ready to take their relationship to another level. He was ready too, but he was nervous because he had never been in that position in his life.
Tenten took his silence as a rejection. She thought she might have moved things too fast. 'How could I be so dumb… he is proper and traditional. He would not expect this. He would not want this…' She closed her kimono. "I am very sorry. I thought you were going to like it. I misread the situation. I am too embarrassed to see you. Could you please leave?"
Gaara saw how mortified Tenten was because of his lack of reaction. He was speechless, not because he was uncomfortable with the situation. "Tenten, you misunderstand my actions. You look so beautiful that it left me speechless. You make me feel things that I have never felt before, and it takes me a second to process. Also, you make me nervous."
Tente was looking down. She could not look at his face, "Why nervous?"
"Because my heart and body desire you in a way that I am afraid I might be overstepping your boundaries. And If you would allow me to be with you intimately, I am nervous that I could disappoint you because of my lack of experience."
Tenten approached Gaara and hugged him, "There is no way you could disappoint me because it is you." She gave him a little kiss and added, "I am nervous too. You are very special to me".
Tenten removed her kimono and removed his jacket, "I want to be with you in that way too." She took his hand to lead him to the bed. He obediently followed and laid down next to her. "You can touch me and do whatever you desire. If at some point, I don't like it, I will tell you. And you will do the same". Gaara just shook his head in agreement.
After their first night together, they fell asleep holding each other. Gaara woke up before dawn. He was holding Tenten's naked body close to his. He saw her face peacefully resting. He wanted to wake up next to her every day. It was the first time in his life that he slept with another person. He had never shared that much intimacy with someone. He had always been different from the moment he was born. He never thought he could connect with a person on that level as he did with Tenten. As much as he wanted to stay, he had commitments to take care of that day. He got out of bed, trying not to wake up Tenten, but she did. "Where are you going?" He kissed her forehead, "I have to meet with some people in the morning and have to prepare. Please sleep. I will see you later."
Gaara left the room and requested a report from his guards. No one looked for him that night. He ordered breakfast to be taken to Tenten with lavender flowers and a note written by him. He had such a busy day, but could not stop thinking about the night before. He made an incredible effort to go through the day.
It was dinner time. Luckily, Temari already returned to the Leaf, and Kankuro and Shinki left on a mission that day so that he could be with Tenten alone. They met for dinner. When they saw each other, they did not even say hi, they just kissed very passionately. It was apparent that they were not interested in dinner. They went to Tenten's room to have another night together. This time around, Tenten was the one that woke up before dawn. She needed to take the morning train to report to the Leaf for a mission. Gaara understood she had to leave, but it was challenging to say goodbye, mainly because they didn't know when they would see each other again.