Hiya.

11-07-2020 edit: Love you guys! Each and every one. Enjoy. ^_^

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Chapter Seven: Suspicions.
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The smell of sex lingered in the air, and it occurred to Sakura that she'd just now plummeted to new depths of stupid.

There were documents with no seals, and she had walked straight past them, her eyes on a fuuin protected safe instead. Sure, it probably held something of interest, but... she still felt stupid. When looking into a large area (say, an oversized bedroom for a political leader), one's eyes naturally strayed to the more prominent features. Gaara didn't even have a desk in here. Still, her genjutsu was working, and Kankuro hadn't seen her, let alone the fact that she was missing from Gaara's bed (if he had known indeed that she was coming here in the first place). She watched his head jerk to the side slightly, as though he could sense an unusual level of chakra in the air; he just stood there, like a wild dog sniffing out its prey without moving. His sense of what was really going on had to be dulled because she was just that good at genjutsu, but the suspicion would be difficult to avoid.

Perhaps the fact that he didn't know she could use her chakra would make him dismiss any concerns he had. The last thing she needed was both of Gaara's siblings thinking she was out to use and hurt him. Still, he didn't move, and Sakura was starting to get a cramp in her leg. She closed her eyes, concentrating as the puppet master seemed to make a decision, turned around, and left as quietly as he'd come. Of course, he didn't realise she'd done that—a genjutsu worked by altering perceptions, and nobody in Suna knew she was a Kunoichi. This was a weakness she could exploit but wasn't necessary until now. Who looked for a genjutsu specialist in a civilian? Still, the fact that she was crouching naked and less than a foot from where Kankuro had just been standing sent shivers up her spine. He didn't need to have seen her. At the sound of Kankuro's feet shuffling away, she realised she'd been holding her breath, and Sakura let it all out in one shaky sigh.

That was too close.

Trembling slightly, Sakura glanced at the safe once more, before standing. That was enough close encounters for one night.

Sakura kept her eyes on Gaara as she slipped back into the bed. This whole seducing the Kazekage was fine and everything, but it was fraying her nerves. Let Tenzou take over next time—he could use some of those things he'd told her to screw someone over. Her next thoughts went to Ino, and she shuddered at the thought of her blonde friend touching Gaara.

So lost in her musings was she, that the next thing she knew, strong arms were snaking their way around her waist. Sakura immediately anticipated the warmth that now spread over her back but wasn't entirely prepared for it when Gaara started to grope her—no, that was a lewd way of explaining the way his hands now ran over her skin. She turned to face him, unsure what to do or say to the Kazekage as he hummed softly to himself.

But by the looks of things (given his eyes were closed and his breathing even), Gaara was still asleep. He didn't wriggle; the way Gaara shifted next to her in response to her movement was so graceful and erotic at the same time. His hands seemed to move almost as an afterthought, tracing her outline as he murmured something in his sleep she couldn't quite catch.

And then he was kissing her, pushing against Sakura with such immediate and overwhelming force that she would have had to use her chakra enhanced strength to free herself from his hold. She decided to go along with it, even though he didn't know she was capable of pushing him away, curious to see how far he would go until he woke up.

So, Sakura merely responded as Gaara ground his hips into hers, flush against her; the warmth of his skin on hers making her tremble in anticipation. His teeth grazed her lips before he bit down, hard and she gasped.

"Ssss..."

Whatever word he was trying to pronounce was lost on him as Sakura lowered her hand between his thighs. He responded eagerly to her ministrations, jack-knifed as she squeezed him, and then went still. She looked up at him—he was awake. The shock on his face slowly faded as she smiled, and Gaara groaned.

Embarrassment and guilt flooded through him and his cheeks burned. That dream had been so vivid. "Sorry," he mumbled apologetically, closing his eyes.

"It's okay, Gaara," Sakura said softly, removing her hand from him to stroke his hair instead. "I don't mind."

Opening his eyes again, he stared down at the dark-haired woman, surprised. Then he smirked, lowering his head, and touching their foreheads, as he licked his lips. Finally realising, in his newly awakened state, what she'd meant, he didn't speak, now resuming the motion of his hips as his hand made its way between her legs. His fingers found their way inside her again; familiar chakra coursed through her and she remembered vividly how great it felt the first time. Gods above, he could market that technique and make a small fortune! Shinobi all around the known world would love to know there was a sure-fire way of preventing conception with chakra control alone.

She vaguely noted that this skill must be a one-use ability that needed repeating every time, before her mind officially shut down.

She kissed him again, and bit down hard on his bottom lip when he pushed into her. He filled every inch of her, straining against her nerve: now seated fully inside her, he paused, pulling his mouth away from hers. She'd bitten him, drawing his blood into her and Sakura looked up at him as he smirked. His biceps were straining, but he didn't care. The sight of the beautiful woman underneath him was perfect; flushed skin, heaving breasts, and ethereal glow.

And Gaara let himself go. He wasn't the morning after type of guy, since connecting with people wasn't really his thing—beyond the bonds that had led him to being Kazekage, of course—but sometimes, it was nice to just pretend that what he had was special. So, he moved; he thrust, inhaled her scent, and melted into her, until all he could hear was his heartbeat, pulsing in time with hers. He felt his sand as it moved with them and smiled to himself as the flushed body beneath him convulsed. He came a moment later, still holding her for dear life and suddenly his mind unclouded... his first thought lingered on her, on how different this morning had been from last night.

And then he rolled off of her, not moving from within her as she held onto him; she closed her eyes, murmuring his name, and he smiled for real.

Gaara ran a hand over her body gently, listening to her breathing as it evened out and deepened, sleep taking her once again. He wasn't quite sure what to think of her, since she was the second person of the female species in his life that he'd had any kind of feelings for, beyond relieving his base urges. He didn't know what to do with the other crush, this crush, or how to decide which one was real. He didn't want to ask Temari, since his sister didn't like Sayuri, and Kankuro would just reduce the decision he had to make down to "who was better in the sack".

Could it really be as simple a decision as that? And then there was the fact that Sayuri was a civilian—not a problem for other Shinobi, but for a Kage, it was a big deal.

He sighed, adjusting Sayuri gently, in his arms, so he could stare out the window. He was no longer tired, and once the sun began to rise, peeking into his room like an ethereal lover, Gaara decided he had delayed long enough. He had a string of meetings to go to, and now felt strange at the prospect that the woman now sharing his bed was his secretary...

Sayuri would just have to forgive him for leaving before she woke.

Gaara took one last glance at her before heading into the shower. He was going to be busy today, not only with the council, but foreign dignitaries. He found that, as the new Kazekage, he could not make himself take former alliances as lightly as his father had. When the fourth Kazekage had taken office, nothing had changed—he'd retained the policies of the Kage before him and supported the council, because that was how it had always been. But Gaara wasn't his father. He could never be so indolent and power hungry at the same time.

And there was that other thing: something strange was definitely happening to him, and it had started with the dream he'd just been having. There were numerous Shinobi, all standing in a circle, and closing ranks to keep him from escaping. He didn't have chakra, or any weapons, and his sand was non-responsive. For the first time in his life, he felt completely helpless. The ninja all bore the leaf insignia, and their faces were masked, but not ANBU. He remembered something about a single Kunoichi standing outside the circle, just watching as the others attacked him, but nothing else about her.

And then the scene had shifted, and that Kunoichi was beneath him, moaning his name wantonly. He'd woken soon after, realising that he'd taken this out on Sayuri. Embarrassed didn't quite cover how he felt, despite the fact that she'd had no problem with it. Then there was the guilt.

Growling, Gaara forced himself to focus on the task at hand, and turned the faucet on, holding his hand out to test the temperature before stepping under the water. He was already naked, and a clean set of his Kazekage robes was always in the bathroom, since he often made his way to the shower in a daze, forgetting to bring anything with him. Temari and Kankuro had both insisted upon it with the maids, having been victims of his forgetfulness before.

Absentmindedly, Gaara sent his sand to check on Sayuri as he lathered and rinsed. She was moaning his name in her sleep again, pulling the sheets along with her as she rolled over.

"Shit."

He broke the connection with his Third Eye, banging his head against the tiled wall. And now he had another hard on...

...

The best source of information was straight from the horse's mouth—or so Tenzou had always believed. Even in an undercover mission, he'd always been able to extract intelligence from the enemy. And despite what he told Sakura—jokingly of course—he knew the difference between a Suna ninja and a henchman for Orochimaru. The enemy was easier to wrest secrets from. He felt no concern for them, no worries over a target who was planning to assassinate a daimyo to move a pawn of his own design into place instead. And on top of that, he didn't need to worry about having to come back to work the next day and pretend he had no idea how that stray kunai accidentally made a happy smile where the man's mouth should have been.

He liked that aspect of assassinations.

Not that they'd been sent to Suna to kill the Kazekage but remembering how much more fun it was to skulk around in shadows, and never be seen both before and after the kill made him nostalgic. He missed ANBU and decided then and there to put in a request for transfer once he returned to Konoha.

To hell with the sleazy women his Samurai persona seemed to draw in like a magnet...

Tenzou's eye twitched—he was supposed to be paying attention to the Hanshi (Grand Master) of this dojo. But the man was prattling on to his students, explaining a grappling version of the "four-directional throw" (shihōnage) and all "Hayato" could concentrate on was the small group of young women (definitely overage) in the corner, casting him not-so-subtle "undress me with your eyes" signals.

He considered himself average looking—nothing to brag about, but nothing to run away screaming from either—and in the short time he and Sakura had been in Suna, Tenzou had made quite a name for himself. The dojo students in this hidden village were good, but since ninja didn't frequent them, they focused on the more traditional, wind country fighting styles. Shihōnage was actually a skill within the teachings of Aikido—something known throughout all the lands, even if only in a select circle. Unlike the ninja, and the samurai, the followers of Aikido learnt the martial art purely in defence. Even the daimyo of each land (and by extension the noble families) didn't bother with this style.

But Aikido was fast becoming popular amongst civilians, and this dojo was a prime example of it, as a synthesis of martial arts, philosophy, and religion. It translated as "the Way of unifying with life energy" or "the Way of harmonious spirit". Tenzou didn't get it though: what was the point of a martial art that protected both the defender and attacker from harm?

It had to be something to do with his ninja instincts; he didn't care if someone who attacked him got hurt for their troubles.

So, he'd come here to watch, fascinated by the technique, even if only as an observer. The women in the corner were giggling now, and he wondered if they came here often... It was lucky for the current students that the Hanshi was teaching Aikido today—Tenzou remembered the man loved putting his students through the ringer (akin to the overzealous training sessions of Maito Gai) and the highlight of his day was when they hit the mat training area hard enough to bruise or break in one go. And as much as Tenzou enjoyed the show the Grand Master was putting on; he couldn't fight the urge to wink back at his decidedly attractive female admirers.

...okay, he was starting to scare himself now.

Point: he wasn't surprised by the eager looks the students were giving him, as he had shown them some samurai moves he'd learnt "back home", his first day here, and every time he entered the dojo, it was a countdown to how long it would be before they practically begged him to beat them senseless. But he was mildly surprised by the women.

He was here to work, not play. The fact that only civilians came to this dojo, and that the oldest son of the owner was the personal assistant to one of the Suna Council Elders, made it a decent place to set up shop, so to speak. The people here were relaxed, talked a bit too much after a few drinks, and had started to treat "Hayato" like one of the family.

He knew Sakura was feeling guilty for seducing the Kazekage because she had feelings for him before now, and Tenzou felt the familiar uncertainty when speaking with these people, but he was an expert at pushing those concerns away. If he were still green around the ears like Sakura, he'd definitely emphasise with her. But a part of his job (especially at this dojo), was to ease her burden. Naruto had specifically asked him to make this as easy as possible for her. This wasn't her element, and he knew that once it was all over, Sakura was going to return to Konoha hating herself. He understood her position, but it was frustrating. He felt protective of all the former members of Team Kakashi despite his claim otherwise—he just hoped this didn't bite Sakura in the butt once she met Gaara again, as herself.

"Hayato!"

The familiar voice snapped him out of his reverie, and as usual, Tenzou was heavily reminded of Gai when the Grand Master strode toward him, a flashy smile and boisterous greeting his only warning before the man enveloped him in a hug. Haruka pulled back but kept his grip on the samurai's shoulders.

"Great to see you; I was just thinking of upping the ante and getting a medic in here, just in case."

The man excelled at teaching—Haruka Soutai was the Grand Master for a reason—but he was still a sadist.

"Haruka-san," Tenzou returned the greeting gruffly.

The Hanshi grinned wickedly. "Hayato-danna, you here to knock these pipsqueaks off their feet?"

If civilians used code, then that was it: again, Haruka was challenging him. The students weren't the only ones who wanted their arses kicked. So Tenzou humoured him, relinquishing his nodachi temporarily, and stepping into the ring (rhetorically speaking, as the mats actually formed a square, rather than a circle).

"You're looking a bit small there yourself," the samurai taunted. "What do you say to a wager?"

"As long as I get to keep my dignity this time."

"I make no promises."

"The loser buys the drinks at The Shady Corner."

Haruka was the taller of the men—Tenzou stood in at 178 centimetres, and the Grand master was almost 200—but had yet to beat him. It was a sad, sad affair that the man wouldn't let it go, though he understood Haruka's desire to best him. It reminded him of how Gai was always challenging Kakashi.

Oh well.

Who needed dignity?

So Tenzou fell into the familiar stance, and held his arms up and out, almost like he was preparing to use the Hyuuga's jyuuken strike. This was really nothing like it though, as he had no idea where Haruka's chakra points were, and this little duel of theirs was supposed to be chakra free anyway. No matter what, he didn't underestimate the man, seeing that the Grand Master had lasted longer against him every time, so Tenzou took his time, looking for that inevitable moment to strike back—that was how he presented himself in this persona. He tried to take his opponent down in one strike... unless he was deliberately taunting him.

So, he parried, blocked, and ducked, and it wasn't long before Haruka gave him an opening. Tenzou's body tensed, and he avoided the bait. He would not be tricked that easily. Students stood outside the ring, spurring them both on and, the adrenaline rushing through him, the samurai made his own opening, flooring Haruka forcefully.

"You're learning," he taunted jokingly.

"Hmph."

Tenzou offered his hand to him. "Thirsty?"

"I think I'm gonna need something strong, to forget how humiliating that was."

Tenzou scoffed as Haruka took the offered hand and climbed to his feet. "Now that, I understand."

Their favourite bar was not empty but could be mistaken for being at least only half-full—The Shady Corner was named as such for a reason. This was a place they would be overheard in (it was just expected), even if there was nothing juicy to talk about. Sand from the low-laying backstreet outside swept into the establishment as they entered, as it always did. Tenzou had been to Suna before, but entering this place without a henge, or any kind of cover other than a fake name left him more wary than normal. Still, he carried his nodachi on his belt as usual, and that should at least deter the smarter patrons from messing with him—the rest would be stupid and consequently easy to deal with.

"Two firebirds," Haruka barked at the barkeep, before ushering Tenzou to a corner booth.

Getting Shinobi drunk wasn't so easy, unless they were close friends, like he was with a lot of leaf ninja, and loosing Haruka's tongue was simpler—though based on the same strategy. The guy liked him; it was obvious. Still, he held his liquor well, and after several embarrassing rounds of "who can fart and burp at the same time?" (hours had passed, and the day was almost over) the inebriated man finally said something of value (Tenzou had stopped drinking the heavier cocktails hours ago, and his drinking buddy hadn't noticed).

Funny drunkards were entertaining, if nothing else.

"Your son?" The wood master asked, wondering where that random comment had come from.

Haruka nodded. "He got promoted."

"Is there really any civilian position higher than personal assistant to a hidden village councillor?"

Haruka's son, Tatsuo Soutai, would've made a good Shinobi, but like his father, had deliberately avoided the ninja academy—they were Suna natives. Things were different there now, better even, but neither of them regretted it.

"How about inter-civil advisor to foreign liaisons?" The Grand Master slurred.

Tenzou whistled. "What does that mean?"

He knew what it meant of course; he couldn't come out and say it though. This sounded... interesting. Since when did Suna use civilians outside of governmental officials in foreign negotiations?

"It means he's moving up," the drunken, shihōnage expert blew a raspberry at him, despite looking thoroughly pleased as he clanked his glass against Hayato's long since emptied one, knocking it over. "Getting international recognition."

Tenzou picked up the fallen glass up absentmindedly, his mind reeling. That meant Gaara had a plan in place already, where the current regime was concerned, for changing it.

"Yep," Haruka burped out, remembering now to lower his voice. "And the rumour is that the Kazekage is looking for new allies."

...

The sun would set soon and Gaara was getting restless. He hadn't expected to be delayed so long, wanting to return to his home, and explain his absence to Sayuri, despite the fact that he'd already left a note for her. He knew she wouldn't be there, and he'd have to track her down, but whatever. He really didn't want to be in these meetings anymore. Any break they took wasn't long enough for him to go off and look for his new lover, so he bore the tediousness. It wasn't until the alliance with Konohagakure was finally brought up that he had the thought to just get up and leave. This issue didn't need to be addressed just yet, but he forced himself to remain seated as the councillors went over the propositions.

Kankuro, ever present and with surprisingly more interest in these talks than his Kazekage brother, was suddenly annoyed. "The leaf?" He asked. "Are you serious?"

Gaara shifted uncomfortably. "This isn't important; I've already stated what I think needs to change there, and I won't be changing my mind."

Kankuro turned to scowl at him—he ignored the shock on the faces of the council at his obvious disrespect. "And don't you think that's a little too hasty? They're our allies."

"You sound like Temari-san," one of the council members said, and Kankuro glared at him. Yoshito was a nasty old man, and none of the sand siblings liked him. The feeling was mutual. "You need to remember to put Suna first," he said.

Gaara interrupted as his brother opened his mouth, before Kankuro could retort. "We all put Suna first. The question is timing—there is no need to go over this again without further information, as our intelligence is incomplete. That problem," he added forcefully, as Yoshito attempted to interrupt. "Will be solved soon."

They all knew what he meant, and fell silent obediently, though reluctantly. It wasn't time yet.

Instead, Gaara called the meeting to an end and used his sand to Shunshin out quickly, before anyone could stop him.

Kankuro glanced at the spot where Gaara had disappeared from, knowing that the younger man was intent on a hot shower, and to find his newest lover, thinking. He'd told his brother of his suspicions, that he'd felt weird after walking into his room in the middle of the night (though Gaara had chalked that up to realising his brother was naked, and not alone), but that later, after his head had cleared somewhat, he was sure there had been some kind of genjutsu at work. Paranoia was not Kankuro's middle name (he was pretty sure it was something dumb like "shit for brains" because apparently, his first words had actually been just as crass), but he didn't know what to trust—his instincts or suspicions. He wanted to trust Sayuri, he really did, but despite what Temari reiterated every time he said something vulgar, he wasn't stupid.

...

She was attempting to organise everything she'd learned so far when her thoughts were interrupted by the knock on her door. Sakura felt instantly alert, pushing back her instinct to search the chakra signature on the other side, and knowing full well that Tenzou wouldn't be back for few hours. She'd reconciled her feelings, deciding the damage was done, and the only thing left for her to do now was just make sure that this somehow helped her figure out what Gaara was up to. When this was over, she would return to the leaf, return to her life, and just pretend it never happened.

And yet it was incredibly unnerving, the idea of facing Gaara again, after their night together and not just that they'd slept together, or she'd finally answered her three-year question of what he looked like naked. No, it was the prospect of seeing him doing the whole, mentally undressing thing... or perhaps the idea that he wouldn't. They had yet to have their "morning after" talk, and she was terrified about how he planned to treat her now. The images from the night before flashed across her mind again; Sakura fought back the blush, reminding herself that she had an unexpected guest, and pushed herself to her feet. Hesitating only for a moment, she opened the door; surprised by what she saw, she almost slammed the door in Temari's face. Instead, she gripped the wood tighter, absentmindedly wondering if Tenzou felt more or less at home in places made of wood.

"T-Temari?"

"Can I come in?" The blonde asked, her face impassive.

Sakura nodded, opening the door all the way open and stepping aside. All fears of Gaara left her head—Temari was scarier, but she didn't look pissed.

"You've probably guessed why I'm here," the blonde said, once Sakura had closed the door.

"Gaara."

Temari nodded. "But this time, I'm not here to threaten you."

"Oh?" That was a surprise.

"No, I'm here to warn you."

Sakura frowned. "That sounds like a threat."

Temari deigned to give her a twisted smile. "I'm not warning you about me. I'm not as scary as what's coming."

…

XXX

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AN: Sorry about the cliff hanger. It's not what you're thinking... probably. ;) Also, things are a bit more serious right now, and are going to escalate soon, but I'll try to keep the humour in here, in some shape or form. Lotsa love! ^_^

R&R.

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