Hiya.

07-07-2020 edit: It's been raining all day. I feel content. Enjoy. ^_^

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Chapter Six: Consummation.
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She almost fell asleep.

The heat of the bubbles, the aroma of her scented candles… the bathtub was also very comfortable. That in and of itself was a good enough reason to just stay in the water and wait for sleep to overtake her. She'd never felt comfortable lying back in a tub like this before—it wasn't luxurious, was barely large enough to accommodate her body, and was even chipped and faded. But Sakura could feel the urge just to drift away and let her worries over Gaara's indirect order to sleep with him fade; she had even closed her eyes. It wasn't so hard; his voice was pleasant but not demanding—in her head anyway.

She almost fell asleep.

Unbidden images of their imminent encounter plagued her—as much as it excited her, it also terrified. She'd worked herself up over it, and Sakura forced herself to calm down. It was always the image of herself throttling Naruto that helped. But she didn't blame him anymore, not really; she'd brought this on herself as well. She wanted this, more than anyone else knew. Gaara's fangirls may disgust her (mostly, she saw her former Sasuke fangirl self in them), but she did agree with the sentiment at least.

And that was her concern.

Sakura didn't want to lower herself to that anymore. She'd worked so hard to push away her inner, the voice that said what she couldn't had disappeared a long time ago, which was also made up of such foolish frivolity as stalking the cutest guy she could find. Naruto had gotten it right when he said attractive guys made her goofy. And there was no denying Gaara was attractive. Only an idiot couldn't see it. And to top things off, he knew it. He knew he was gorgeous; he knew she could see it, and it played across his face every time her gaze lingered on him longer than necessary.

He was intolerable.

Sakura remembered the first time she'd met him. The first time she'd taken the chunin exams had been rough, not to mention she'd almost given up on the theory, her best subject. Naruto inspired her faith, whether she was raising her hand or following him blindly into the forest of death. A part of her longed for those days, considering Sasuke was still a member of Team Seven at the time, and no matter what he'd done since leaving Konoha, she missed him. She would always miss him. She would always love him.

Gaara however, had not immediately drawn her attention, as was to be expected considering she was still a Sasuke fan girl. But her inner noticed he was cute. He was definitely cute. Pictures of him and fleeting, long distance shots of him over the years morphed him from cute to hot, but she hadn't quite been prepared for this mission. He'd grown up nicer and faster than she'd anticipated.

And when Naruto was named Hokage, Sakura was on a mission. She had been at the inauguration, but not at the proceeding negotiations with their existing allies. This was how she hadn't realised until it was too late that the new Kazekage was none other than her previous crush.

And now…

I'm panicking, she thought, rubbing her hands over her skin roughly. I just need to look at this logically.

If she could push aside the thoughts that led to her nerves, it would be fine. She wasn't some trembling, naïve virgin. This was a mission, there was nothing to it…

She groaned. Except it's not, not really.

"Sayuri?"

She sat up quickly, water cascading over the side of the tub, knocking her candles into the tub and making her squeal in surprise. That was Tenzou's voice, and he sounded concerned.

"In the bath!" She called out, knowing he would sit and wait like an impatient aniki for her to hurry up and finish. Sakura had already cleaned, shaved, and cleaned some more, so there really was no need to stay in the bath. She'd divested herself of any traces of pink before even arriving in Suna, but it wouldn't hurt to be safe.

When Sakura had a bathrobe around her body, she towel dried her hair, walking lazily into the living room. There was a package on the coffee table, addressed to her, and she fingered it thoughtfully as Tenzou emerged from his bedroom. He looked wary.

"It's from the Kazekage," he said.

Sakura nodded, unwrapping it carefully as she moved toward her bedroom. Tenzou followed but stopped at the doorway; Sakura sat down on her bed and read the instructions written on the sheet of paper. The package also came with a key and keychain. Was it to the Kazekage's mansion? She looked up at her brother.

"Why are you here? I thought you'd be at the dojo for another few hours yet."

"I heard he told you to go home and I was worried," he said.

She gave him a half-hearted, nervous smile. "He did."

"What happened?"

Sakura swallowed heavily, pulling herself to full height. The strong Kunoichi answered him. "I'm going over to his mansion tonight."

"To sneak around or get laid?"

She turned a violent red and glared at him. "I was invited, you lecherous pervert!"

Seriously, he was turning into Kakashi! She didn't remember him acting this way back when they were a part of Team Kakashi. What the hell was the matter with him? Sakura continued to glare at him, but he just matched it with a cheeky smile. He waited for her to calm down, and she thought it through, realising he might not have felt comfortable talking like this to her or Naruto because they were underage back then.

"Are you always like this?" She had been overage for years, thank-you very much.

"No," he admitted. "Just when I'm really happy."

She shook her head. "I have enough to worry about without you going off the deep end."

"Mission troubles?"

"More like nerves."

Tenzou watched her closely as she flopped back onto her bed. "You should calm down."

Sakura glared at him. "You calm down! I'm freaking out."

He really wanted to give her his infamous glare, and make her calm down, but it really didn't affect her like it did Naruto. Those were the days.

"You're a jounin," he said instead. "Not a genin, and this is just another mission…"

Sakura groaned sitting up again. "It's not just another mission—it's a seduction mission. I never took those for a reason. This isn't my thing."

"Then why did you accept this one?"

She looked up at him; still standing in her doorway, he looked familiarly comfortable between the wooden frames. The truth was that the idea of seducing Gaara had allowed her to forget her promise to herself when Tsunade had offered her seduction training. It wasn't like every Kunoichi from here to the land of tea went through said training, as it was only an ANBU thing—with very few exceptions, and ultimately interchangeable via the order of a Kage.

She hadn't really thought this one through. She played with a strand of her hair, visualising the pink tresses she preferred, through the black, not sure how to respond.

"You're just getting cold feet."

She snorted. "I'm sleeping with him, not marrying him."

"But why?"

She hesitated. "If I tell you, you have to promise not to tell anyone, not even Naruto."

"I can't disobey a direct order from my Hokage, Sakura."

"Okay fine, unless he specifically asks you."

Tenzou nodded. "Promise."

She gripped the bed sheets, desperately wishing she could access her chakra as she lowered her eyes to the floor. But even though it was safe enough for them to talk like this right now, she would not risk activating her chakra—call her paranoid. Tracker ninja scared the hell out of her, and Suna had a number of really good ones.

"It's stupid," she said. "I always thought he was hot, and even daydreamed about having sex with him." She lifted her eyes quickly, catching the strange look of surprise on Tenzou's face before he managed to school his features. "Don't tell anyone."

"That's it?"

"Yeah…"

Tenzou just shook his head. "It's just a fantasy Sakura. Everyone has them."

"I know, it's just… well, now that I'm here, it's so much more embarrassing."

"It's just you and me here," he said, coming in to sit next to her. "And I'm not Ino—I know how to keep a secret."

"Thanks."

The wood master rubbed his forehead. "But if you go in and see him with the bundle of nerves you've got going on right now, he's bound to wonder what's going on with you, even if you actually should be intimidated, because he's the Kazekage."

"What do you suggest?"

"I know the fundamental steps of seduction."

"Why didn't you say so?"

He smirked. "You didn't ask."

Sakura was gobsmacked. "Does that mean you've… uh…"

Tenzou nodded. "I've gone on seduction missions before, when I was ANBU. I can teach you a few things, if you really want me to."

He'd left it to her to ask because he knew Sakura—no amount of offers would've gotten her to listen to him until she was desperate enough. This was a bit last minute, but the most important thing about this kind of mission wasn't the theory (though he would never belittle its significance), but the practical. If Sakura attempted to seduce the Kazekage given the set of instructions set down by ANBU, she'd fail. It was something all ANBU entering this type of mission learnt the hard way—and it was done to them on purpose.

Gaara may have initiated their imminent encounter, but Sakura was a willing participant, and she needed to get a hold of herself.

"Okay," he said, standing up and offering his hand. She accepted it gratefully. "You're officially inducted into the Tenzou School of Seduction."

Sakura scoffed. "Can I design my own curriculum?"

"Sorry, that's a Sensei's privilege."

"You suck as a teacher."

"Worse than Kakashi?"

She stuck out her tongue and he chuckled.

"Careful now Sakura," he warned. "We only have a few hours, and disrespect will not be tolerated."

It wasn't until Tenzou had left her to get dressed that Sakura started to feel nervous again. The rules were simple in theory, and she just needed to hold onto that. Gaara had told her (via the letter with the key) not to dress up, but she wanted to at least look decent. Slutty and respectable didn't exactly go hand in hand, so she found a medium in a knee-high red dress, thinking it looked alright with minimal makeup. She also went halfway in recreating what she'd done the nights Gaara had followed her home after her fun in that nightclub, The Zephyr.

Tenzou whistled at the sight of her, and she blushed. "Shut up."

He couldn't resist it—this was bringing out his cheeky side. Tenzou slapped her on the arse and grinned when she glared back at him. "Go get him, tiger."

...

This was ridiculous. She was standing outside the Kazekage's mansion, positive he was indeed inside, and she was freezing. He had to know she was out here, which pissed her off, because for the infinitesimal moments in which she'd risked activating her chakra to check, he hadn't moved from a room upstairs—be it his bedroom or home office, she didn't know. Perhaps he was making her wait, but he had no way of knowing she'd know for sure he was up there.

The note had specifically told her to wait, and she wondered what the key was for. Was he trying to piss her off or come off romantic? She wasn't sure at this point.

"You didn't need to dress up."

Gaara's deep, husky voice tickled the back of her neck, startling her. She wasn't sure what that meant for her ninja senses, considering she wasn't supposed to have any right now, but as his lips grazed her skin, all other thoughts abruptly left her head. A hand slid down her side, not groping her, but not keeping a respectful distance either.

"I wasn't going to wear my track pants and halter top," she said quickly.

"Hm." She supposed he saw her point. "It doesn't matter anyway; I'll be taking it off of you soon enough."

Sand swirled around her, pulling her back against the chiselled form behind her, and Sakura felt her body being pulled through a teleportation jutsu; it didn't feel like a normal one however, and she supposed this sand version worked on a slightly different premise.

They landed inside the Kazekage's mansion and Gaara immediately released his hold on her; she spun around, taking a step away from him, eyes widening at the darkened, lustful stare of her imminent lover.

"What do you want?" She asked, as though it wasn't already obvious.

"What words can never describe," he said, watching the array of emotions flitting over her face.

He hadn't intended this to be anything other than a night of unbridled passion, but he was getting the idea, looking at her now, that she wasn't completely aware of the shallowness of his intent.

"Kazekage-sama, I-oomph!"

Her protests were cut off as he closed the distance between them, intent on showing her just how much he wanted her. The next instant, he had her on his bed, her thighs parted but not exposed, and his hands roaming her body. It was a few minutes of tugging, and pushing later, when Sakura finally managed to regain her equilibrium and pull away. He was already running his hands under her dress in an attempt to divest her of her clothes, but she shifted her hips, clamping her elbows to her sides, to impede him.

And, instead of allowing him access (his silent glare demanded as much), she smirked up at him. "What, no entrée?"

She was referring to his haste to undress her, and he knew it.

"What do you want?" He murmured, echoing her earlier words. "What are you expecting from tonight?"

A good fucking roll.

Sakura almost baulked at her own thoughts. The truth that she couldn't be honest about her answer was painful, so she instead redirected his line of questioning.

"I'm not looking at tomorrow," Sakura said, running her fingers along Gaara's arm. "I'm looking at here and now; at you."

He growled, taking that as some sort of acquiesce and returned to kissing her.

Sakura tried not to look like she was terrified inside. She had no delusions that this was just sex he was after, and the idea of sleeping with the Kazekage and then leaving once her mission was over felt wrong. The way he looked at her was so intense; she daydreamed that it wasn't just lust—his eyes would rake her body, but only once he'd smiled and greeted her, all awhile, his eyes were on hers. He would be infatuated.

She was insane.

Sakura was a Konoha Kunoichi, and she'd been trained to put the mission first, but this was still wrong.

"Sayuri," Gaara whispered huskily.

Sakura trembled slightly at the sound of the fake name; the guilt was heavy now, and she closed her eyes as he licked her collarbone, biting her the next second (making her eyes snap open in shock). His arms snaked around her body and he growled into her skin, his hands returning to the task of undressing her. She helped him along, shifting underneath him and becoming less self-conscious by the second. So, he was finally seeing her naked, she would be in his position in a moment anyway. And as she thought that, Gaara pulled away to disrobe; his Kage clothes fell away and without thinking, Sakura lowered her hands to the last of the impediments, pushing them down and releasing him from the bonds.

She wasn't given a chance to admire him. Gaara lowered himself onto her, nibbling her, breaking skin; the entire length of her body was on fire from the contact as he moved against her. The friction increased, and he had her practically begging him to slide inside her. But he wanted to make it last, the delight with which he found himself teasing her, not something he was eager to cut short.

Still, she couldn't seem to let go of the guilt.

He noticed her hesitance of course—he wasn't stupid. Gaara stopped what he was doing and looked up at her, his right-hand hovering over her left breast. "What's the matter?"

You're too fucking hot for your own good.

Shit.

Sakura inhaled deeply. "Nothing."

He frowned. "Don't lie; something's wrong, now tell me what it is."

She shuddered. Tenzou's warnings about hiding her emotions rang in her ears. She closed her eyes momentarily, trying to steel herself, and then looked at him; Gaara's expression had morphed, from slightly annoyed to concerned. He held his hovering hand down on her bare skin now, and she knew what he was about to say before he said it.

"Do you want me to stop?"

Sakura shook her head without thinking. And really, she didn't want him to back out of this. If she could push aside her guilt, pretend that he was about to have sex with Sakura Haruno, not Sayuri Nakayama, then everything else was bound to fall into place. Yes, she wanted this.

"I'm fine," she said, this time sounding like she meant it. "It's just a little faster than I'm used to."

"The sex?"

She ignored the slight smirk on his lips. "Everything up until."

Gaara lightly grazed her nipple with his thumb, his smirk deepening when she let out a soft sigh. He licked his lips, his hand moving between her thighs instead, and she trembled in anticipation. He moved to accommodate his new target and lazily drew circles over her highly sensitised skin. "I know I can come off as pushy," he said seriously, "but if you're not comfortable, just say so."

Sakura nodded. "It's okay; I want this, I promise."

His expression softened and Gaara released his hold on her, sliding up her body to place a kiss on her lips.

He was waiting for her to relax, stroking her gently, and suckling on her bottom lip; he bit down when she bucked underneath him. And then Gaara slid his fingers inside her; Sakura was shocked at the strangely familiar sensation of chakra coursing through her. It streamed through her cervix, ending in her uterus. She could feel it like an extension of Gaara's fingers and it was incredibly erotic. Was this a type of birth control jutsu? The medic in her wanted to ask him, but when she opened her mouth to voice the words, all that came out was a low toned, guttural moan. Her body reacted without her permission, and in her reverie, Sakura did not see the arrogant smirk on Gaara's face.

Watching her writhe under him was more than enough to make him hard, and then she had to go and mewl in response to his chakra inside of her… it was, interesting. He'd always been good at pleasuring women, but never had this kind of reaction before. She made him want to keep teasing her, to see how much she could take, but forcing his chakra into her was enough. There would be no unplanned repercussions from this night, and that was what was important.

She could see that he was letting her in, letting down his guard, closing his eyes to his training and as he pressed their foreheads together, Sakura was sure his eyes had changed. They were no longer the taut, reserved eyes of the Kazekage—now he looked down at her with something akin to admiration, lust, and serenity.

They questioned her silently and she nodded her assent, knowing this was her last chance to back out. She wanted him in her, now.

And with one deep, angled thrust, he was suddenly inside her. The rest of the world disappeared; Sakura arched, jerking uncontrollably as she lost herself to the pleasure wracking her body. He moved immediately, nuzzling her neck, inhaling her scent, and his hips rolled gently. His rhythm was demanding but coaxing and designed to arouse in agonising leisureliness.

Only when Sakura dug her nails into his back and drew blood did Gaara increase his pace. His eyes were rolled up into the back of his head and Gaara seemed lost to everything but what he was feeling. His hands unconsciously swept over her torso, mechanically memorising the contours of her body, and he barely registered that the woman beneath him was half-screaming in time with his thrusts.

Sakura pulled the Kazekage closer to her heartbeat, trying to draw this out, excited and enlivened that his heart was racing just as quickly, but wanting to forestall the inexorable conclusion.

And when her vision did inevitably explode, she was vaguely aware of her peripherals; his sand was everywhere. It swarmed around them like it had a mind of its own, exploding a moment later as Sakura threw her head back, letting out an ear piercing, high pitched scream.

The Kazekage came inside of her as an afterthought and collapsed on top of her, his hot breath in her ear as they both drifted off.

...

Sakura woke first. There was no light dazzling her eyes, like she'd have anticipated—the sun had yet to rise. It was still dark outside, and the inside of the Kazekage's mansion mirrored this. Without looking at the clock, she figured it was just after two in the morning. She'd never felt more exhausted, her body tingling with the sensation, but she also felt like she was standing naked in front of an air-conditioning unit. Every pore was highly sensitised, every inch of her skin on alert. She'd never woken up quite like this before.

She shifted her head slightly, realising at the same time, that Gaara's arm, while draped across her body, was relaxed and therefore easy to wriggle out of. She moved slightly however, and his fingers clenched, gripping tightly to her side. His eyes twitched; even when fast asleep he was controlling. She fidgeted, manoeuvring until his arms fell lax at his sides, and Sakura wiggled out of bed. Glancing at the naked Kazekage, she looked around the room again—during the course of their, uh, fun, she'd vaguely registered that this room contained a safe.

For a ninja, such a device would have fuuin jutsu all over it, so she wouldn't be able to open it without activating her chakra and therefore alerting the sleeping form of the Kazekage. But she just wanted to examine it. Her clothes were flung around the room carelessly and getting dressed again would look suspicious if he were to wake up before she was done, so Sakura made her way over to the safe in the near darkness, completely naked.

She was right about the array of fuuin jutsu; Sakura knelt in front of it, tested the more obvious seals, and made a visual inspection of the lock. If she had five minutes of privacy, she was sure she'd get it open—ten minutes without making any kind of mess. She looked up quickly at the sound of feet shuffling along. Outside, in the hallway, someone was coming this way.

A ninja's first instinct was supposed to be to attack, defend, or retreat. The possibility that someone might walk in on her trying to steal Kazekage secrets (not that that was exactly what she was doing), made her want to lash out.

The footsteps didn't pass the room by. In fact, whoever was encroaching in on the Kazekage's room at this ungodly hour was slowly opening the door without knocking and, naked and kneeling down in front of the locked safe, all Sakura could do was hold her breath and resist the temptation to activate her chakra.

…

XXX

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Happy GaaSaku month, and lotsa love! ^_^

R&R.

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