Hiya.
It's kind of ironic to me that THIS is the chapter I'm up to when I came back to this after so long. It was never going to be a humour filled chapter, and it's a pivotal point in the story. It will set the tone for the rest of the story, going forward. But like I've previously stated: I'll try to squeeze in the weird humour that's been in it so far. Hopefully the years of disconnect I have with this fic won't affect it too much.
I apologise ahead of time if it does.
Also, I always have to have a clear timeline for everything I write. So, for continuity's sake: this chapter is July 15th; a Monday.
Anyway. Enjoy! ^_^
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Chapter Ten: What Not to Do.
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The window was open but the air breezing through it was warm and even the light of the rising sun made no difference. It was that hot. Gaara had considered having a shower when returning to bed after his early morning meeting but knew he would just start sweating again as soon as he joined his sleeping companion.
Sayuri was out like a light and had been for hours.
Lying next to her, he absently ran his fingers through the soft strands of her hair. The black was a nice contrast against her pale skin, surprisingly not making her look like some pasty ghoul. On most people he thought black hair and white skin looked too creepy. But she pulled it off well. Her complexion was perfect.
Strands of black. But even though they were soft between his fingers and felt nice, they were still … weird.
He glanced down at her sleeping form, a grin slowly building on his face as he contemplated waking her up the fun way.
Sayuri had kicked off the blankets in her sleep, clearly too hot to worry about covering herself. She wasn't exactly the shyest person, but she'd proven to be far more modest after Gaara had finished fucking her, preferring to wrap herself up as though he hadn't just had his hands and lips all over her. But when she fell asleep, all of that disappeared.
She was comfortable in her own skin. Which, as he'd noted each time they slept together, was at odds to her demeanour when awake. Often, he felt like Sayuri could barely move in her own body, but when she was asleep and naked next to him, she just looked content. Every inch of her was exposed to him and as he brushed his fingers along the smooth, unblemished skin, Gaara revelled in the way her body responded. It was bold and unashamed. Her hand swiped at him. Her other arm came up to rest next to her head, and her legs parted slightly; the pose was enticing and brazen.
His fingers slid along her sex and he smirked at the slick of arousal that had already gathered. Gaara admired that she kept herself well waxed but wondered what she would look like if she just trimmed there instead. He tried to picture a patch of black hair, but all the images just came up looking wrong. It was either the shape or the colour—he wasn't sure.
Sayuri's knees rose suddenly and she trapped his hand between her legs, her face screwing up in concentration. He continued to sooth her lower lips, easing her tension and making her lower her legs and let him keep fingering her as she bucked into his hand.
He couldn't believe she was such a heavy sleeper, but then again, she was just a civilian.
Gaara frowned at that. These were treacherous thoughts—it made him want to change the stupid laws so he could keep her. He couldn't help it. There was just something mesmerising about her. It wasn't just her scent or the pretty way she pouted and pursed her lips together. She was also a bit of an enigma. It was cliché to say, but when he looked at her, she didn't look like a Sayuri.
And he was aware of this weird disconnect he was having, every time he took the time to really peruse her. Something at the back of his head was telling him he was missing something. The familiarity was at odds with the disconcertment he felt. At the same time that he felt drawn to her he also wary; only the thought of never being able to fuck her again kept him from ending this affair.
It had his head spinning.
Sayuri groaned. "Fuck you," she mumbled and rolled away from him.
He chuckled and repositioned his hand to run over her arse, admiring the curves on her petite figure and that little indent under her bum. She shifted again, pressing her face into her pillow, her body into the mattress, her arse on display.
She was so delectable. He'd never felt this attached to someone who shared his bed before.
I want to keep her.
Gaara groaned at that repeated thought, resting his open palm on the small of her back as he tried to sort out his desire. The previous weekend had been busy for him, but he'd taken the time to research the laws involving the Kazekage and marriage, in the appropriate section in the public library. Doing so was really annoying as his most rabid fangirls had already been in the library and watched him avidly, not hiding interest the entire time. He'd found a few books on civilian loopholes but ultimately left them behind on the desk he'd been hunched over and abandoned them. He needed to speak with the council lawyers instead—no twittering fangirls would be allowed to distract him in that building. So that was his plan.
He was going to keep her. If she wanted him to.
Sayuri rolled over again, this time moving closer to him. He cupped the side of her face, staring at her closely; the little button nose, those pouty, pink lips…
Pink…
There were only two women he'd ever thought of so often that they never permanently left his thoughts.
Naruto's special person.
He swallowed heavily, dropping his hand from Sayuri's face. What was he thinking? He couldn't think about her. Not when he was entertaining fucking the beautiful woman lying next to him, to wake her up.
No.
Pushing that years old infatuation out of his head, Gaara shifted, and Sayuri rolled toward him in her sleep. It was too hot to cuddle, but he let her press the length of her body against his, nonetheless. Wiping at a bead of sweat that was about to sting his eye, he wrapped her leg over his, pressing himself into the curve of her groin. He ran a hand delicately over her sensitive spots as she moaned and leaned into his touch. As she shivered and murmured his name, Gaara felt himself starting to harden.
Sayuri groaned as he rocked against her for more friction and she grabbed at his chest, surprising him. Her eyes were tightly closed, her lips parted as her breathing deepened, and her body seemed to be moving autonomously.
He almost debated waking her up and making sure she was okay with this; his fingers slid inside of her again and he pushed his chakra in until it met her womb. She reacted as she always did to his self-invented birth control, trembling and arcing her body as though she'd never felt anything so good before.
Gaara hesitated as her head flopped back on the pillow and she stopped responding, clearly slipping deeper into her slumber as though her orgasm had drained all her sexual desire. Should he stop now? He watched the twitch of her R.E.M. sleep and sighed. She murmured his name as he removed his finger from inside her.
"Fuck me," she murmured.
Decision made.
Frustrated and annoyed at his own indecision, Gaara cradled her hips and thrust into her. She let out a yelp and the knee jerk response almost made her fall out of his grasp. Moving with her as Sayuri's eyes fluttered open, he rolled her onto her back, fucking her almost desperately.
"Gaara!"
She was suddenly wide awake, her toes curling, her legs wrapping around his waist as he drove into her violently. He closed his eyes, burying his face in her shoulder and tried desperately to drive every painful doubt he had in his mind out of himself by fucking his secretary so hard into his mattress that the bed screeched in alarm beneath them.
A few hours prior, he'd been angry and disappointed in himself. Now, he was just angry at himself.
A few hours ago.
The meeting he'd been waiting for, with Suna's newest potential ally, hadn't gone according to plan.
.
A few hours ago:
The twilight hours in Suna were hotter than the desert. As the guards changed their shifts, and grumbled about the heat, they didn't notice the extra shadow passing under the towers that the sun hadn't cast. The chakra went unnoticed as it passed through the village, following a route that had been given to it by the council themselves. Its destination rose on the horizon like a beacon; it was the tallest building in the entire village, after all.
It paused; the ninja hidden in its depths searched the area to spot the guards in place before moving in.
Gaara waited on the roof of the Kazekage building; the contrast of light and dark at this elevation hiding them from anyone who may happen to be passing on ground level. The ninja of Suna knew not to bother the officials inside this time of morning. The twilight hid them perfectly via both illumination and etiquette.
Kankuro and Baki stood to the side and behind Gaara, and a handful of ANBU waited in the shadows. His brother was here for personal reasons, wishing to play the protective big brother card, and Baki had been the compromise from the council who had wished to be a part of this meeting—Gaara had shot them down hard, not wanting them anywhere near this potential ticking time bomb, lest they make things worse.
They didn't have long to wait as another shadow joined them moments after they'd moved into position.
Kankuro was the first to react to the newcomer, shifting his stance and holding his head high as though looking down on the man as inferior.
Gaara decided against the custom greetings. "Sasuke."
Sasuke stood four feet in front of him, his hand on the katana at his waist, his expression blank. "Hn."
Gaara didn't react, choosing instead to wait for the last Uchiha to explain what he was looking for in Suna. The council had all but ordered him to be a part of this—more like pressured and guilted him—but that didn't mean he had to be accommodating.
Gaara disliked Sasuke, thoroughly. Loyalty was important to him, but the Uchiha didn't claim the same thing. He viewed his plans for attacking Konoha as revenge, but the redhead saw them as childish and ungrateful. The friends he'd made and people who had helped him meant nothing to him and Sasuke's darkness was more important than life itself.
Gaara used to feel this way and knew—in hindsight—just how selfish it was.
The part of him that was loyal to Suna warred with the part that was loyal to the treaty they had with Konoha and he wasn't sure what to do about that. It would be self-defeating to choose between them. And as he watched Sasuke eyeing him off like he was just another village leader he could easily squash, Gaara contemplated the conversation he'd be having right now if it was Naruto's alliance the council valued more.
The Hokage was trustworthy and had never turned on an ally. But Gaara's loyalty to Suna, no matter the consequence, had to come first.
Kankuro broke the silent staring contest. "Why did you want this meeting, Sasuke?"
The Uchiha didn't look at the Kazekage's sibling, choosing to pretend Gaara had asked the question instead. "Your people owe nothing to the Leaf," he said.
"Not like you do," Kankuro said, earning a reproachful look from a still silent Baki.
Sasuke glanced at him nonchalantly before turning back to Gaara. "Your father saw the wisdom in dominating them. If it weren't for Orochimaru, that invasion of his would have worked."
Gaara twitched at the mention of his father and Kankuro murmured something unintelligible under his breath.
"What's your premise for coming to us? You didn't say in your initial communication," Baki said.
Sasuke nodded to him, surprising them all. "I will destroy Konoha. Not that I need you to crush them," he scoffed. "But without me, how long will your village last having to be subservient to Fire in every negotiation. Your council and the Feudal Lord are both getting impatient with them."
Gaara was surprised at that. "How do you plan to attack Konoha without help?"
Sasuke smirked. "I have the numbers."
Gaara frowned. That was very forthcoming of him. Either Sasuke didn't doubt for a second that Gaara would back him up or this was a tactic to put him on the defensive. Or perhaps he wasn't above simply bragging to entice people to join him. A bunch of fangirls or fanboys might follow the Uchiha willingly without a promise of something in return, but Gaara wasn't that easy. Or that kind of idiot.
Kankuro scoffed. "Right."
The ANBU in the shadows moved slightly as Sasuke shifted his stance, clearly not happy with Kankuro's continued disrespect.
"Then why are you really here?"
Sasuke removed his hand from the hilt of the katana on his waist, perhaps thinking it would make him look less of a threat. "I need you to not interfere." He stared straight at Gaara. "You are the one kage most likely to come to the defence of leaf. I need your assurance you won't try to stop me. In return, I can help you become stronger than the other villages. I have detailed information on them gathered by the Akatsuki before their fall. It's yours if you agree to this truce."
Orochimaru's name was on the tip of Sasuke's tongue, of that Gaara was sure. That was the one source of information that he'd believe the Uchiha actually had. But this whole Akatsuki bit, it was heady information if he wasn't lying. Everyone knew that Pein had been spying on all the nations for years before Naruto and Jiraiya took him down for good. The time spent hunting down all the members and taking them all out didn't uncover their leader's hideout and it was believed that—wherever it was—it remained intact to this day.
And if Sasuke did have this information, there was nothing to stop him from handing it over to whatever nation he wanted. From handing it to those who wanted to take down Suna. There was still no love lost between the Wind and Cloud, for example. But Gaara had no way of knowing how much the Akatsuki had figured out. It would stand to reason that Suna wasn't the only village that changed its security procedures after the revelation about the Akatsuki spies, vetting every person who entered the village more strictly from then on.
It was why Gaara had held off for so long on arranging a marriage for himself, like the council kept pushing him to do. He cleared his throat before that thought could stray too far into dangerous territory.
Gaara frowned at Sasuke. "You would betray every person who cares about you, in Konoha. You would betray Naruto—"
"The dobe can go to hell," Sasuke said, narrowing his eyes at Gaara. "None of them are innocent."
"So you'll kill women and children too?"
"If that's what it takes."
Gaara stared into his eyes, not missing the way Sasuke flinched at his own claim. A part of Gaara wondered the Uchiha he was being honest with himself about that. But the sinister look on his face could not be ignored. He desired vengeance. He wanted blood. But whose blood was he willing to spill to make it happen?
"How do we know you even have any information on other villages?" Baki asked the question on everyone's lips. "You could be using it to lure us into helping, just like your former sensei tricked the previous Kazekage."
It was a fair question.
"You don't." He glanced at Kankuro. "I can understand him being this stupid, but I didn't think Gaara was on that level."
"Watch your mouth," Kankuro growled.
Sasuke smirked. "I'm proven correct, again."
"Don't—"
Gaara realised too late what that smirk on Sasuke's face meant. He was testing them, riling up Kankuro to see how far they were willing to go. If Gaara attacked Sasuke now, thinking to end this before it could go any further, then he couldn't be trusted to abstain from helping Naruto when the time came."
"I'm not listening to any more of this," Kankuro said, holding out his arm as though he was preparing to turn Sasuke into his personal puppet. "You have no honour and are a liar."
"Your dog is annoying," Sasuke said, unsheathing his katana. The ANBU in the area made themselves known the instant before he charged forward to take a swipe at Kankuro, but Gaara held his hand up to stop them. Even Baki hesitated, not understanding why his Kazekage would let this happen. Gaara's sand swirled around Sasuke, but the Uchiha moved quickly out of the way, disappearing and then reappearing behind the redhead.
Gaara hadn't been trying very hard, since he had Sasuke both outnumbered and outsmarted, but this was extreme, even for the Uchiha.
He has lost his mind.
Gaara dissolved into sand under Sasuke's attack, his clone scattering, making the Uchiha back up quickly.
"You did that on purpose." Sasuke growled.
The ANBU moved forward now, cornering the last Uchiha as he glowered at the spot where Gaara had disappeared. Sensing that the Kazekage was nearby and could hear every word he was saying, he spoke once more before disappearing in a flurry of red and purple chakra.
He'd teleported out.
Gaara frowned, watching from the rooftop two buildings over; his third eye swivelled and he tried to track Sasuke's chakra signature, to no avail.
That was a long-distance teleport.
He was long gone.
.
Gaara's eyes closed soon after finishing and he didn't have the strength to pull out of Sayuri before exhaustion took him. He vaguely recalled the feeling of her body trembling violently in her own orgasm as his dreams took over. He dreamed of that mild scuffle with Sasuke, only Sayuri was here this time, but she didn't look like herself. She was upset and apologising to the Uchiha. Jealousy burned inside Gaara and he crushed them both with his sand. When they were only blood splatters on the ground, he was suddenly in the middle of the desert, his control over sand gone, and an army of Sasuke clones charging him.
They never made it to him.
Gaara woke slowly, his legs entangled with Sayuri's and his sand shifting uncomfortably. Awareness overtook fatigue and he groaned softly as everything came flooding back to him. No matter how beautiful or entrancing Sayuri was, she could only distract him from what he had to do for so long. He tried to shake that ridiculous dream from his head as he carefully extracted himself from her embrace, surprised momentarily by the strength with which she unconsciously clung to him, and slid out of bed. It was six in the morning and he was suddenly wide awake.
Gaara had been agonising over everything for days leading up to it but meeting with Sasuke a few hours ago and acknowledging he never wanted to give up Sayuri had solidified his resolve. He needed to get on top of this before it spiralled completely out of control.
Baki had promised to inform the council of everything and Gaara wasn't looking forward to their inevitable "well, if we had that information it would be worth it" speech.
He had a few more errands to run, but he finished up around ten o'clock and headed over to Kaninbo Dojo for the one he had been dreading since he decided to do it. The Grand Master greeted him enthusiastically at the door, doing a poor job of hiding his surprise.
"Lord Kazekage," Hanshi said, bowing low. "I am Grand Master Hanshi. I am honoured by your presence."
Gaara had never been here and was expecting this show of respect, but waved the man's introduction away, not wanting to stand on pomp. He looked around, ignoring the dumbfounded expressions of everyone who'd noticed him until his eyes fell on the man he was looking for. Sayuri's brother was having a discussion with one of the students and by the looks of it, they were debating over some techniques. He had yet to notice the redhead's arrival.
"What can we do for you, Lord Kazekage?"
Gaara glanced back and Master Hanshi. "Gather your strongest fighters in the ring."
Hanshi's eyebrows rose to his hairline in confusion and he froze for a moment before realisation dawned on his face and he was suddenly scrambling to obey. Gaara found it amusing how civilians acted just like ninja when it came to following an order from him; even though he technically had no official sway over civilians, it was great to watch the respect and awe in their eyes. He sighed.
I'm getting as bad as Temari.
He watched as they paired up and Hanshi goaded, ordered, or guilted the members into fighting for the Kazekage's viewing pleasure. Hayato was the only one who seemed to be unimpressed by Gaara's presence, but he fought his opponent as though it was a contest for more than just bragging rights and the redhead was surprised at how good he was.
Gaara was impressed.
He moved like a samurai, for sure, but there was an elegance in his style that was rare outside of ninja training warriors. It was more than enough for what he needed. Gaara put an end to the exercise and waved the Grand Master and Hayato over to him, ignoring the disappointment on the faces of the other dojo members.
Hanshi looked flustered as Hayato just stared right back at the Kazekage, not bothering to introduce himself.
He decided to do the introductions. "This is—"
"We've met," Gaara cut him off and startled, Hanshi looked between the two men, confused.
The Grand Master frowned but moved away after a few moments when all they did was stare at each other intensely.
Awkward. Hanshi moved away without waiting to be dismissed, shaking his head, worried.
Hayato raised an eyebrow, practically demanding that Gaara speak first.
The redhead sighed. "You handle yourself well, for a civilian."
The older man huffed. "Yeah, these pipsqueaks are fodder." He grinned.
The shift from annoyed to elated in his expression sent a shiver down Gaara's spine and he barely managed to conceal it. He cleared his throat. "We need to talk privately."
Hayato saluted. "Lead the way."
Gaara didn't bother glancing at the dojo members and woman nearby who were ogling him before leaving the building, Sayuri's brother trailing behind. They left the civilian district, heading toward the Kazekage tower and almost made it before Hayato groaned about this taking too long. The redhead stopped and turned to find the man shaking his feet like he'd twisted his ankle and leaning on his sword, the hilt up.
"Just tell me why I'm missing the praise and bosoms I normally get for showing off in there," Hayato said. He looked up at the tower, his demeanour changing as his eyes twinkled and that manic grin returned. "Is your sister in there?"
I'm going to regret this, Gaara thought, sighing inwardly.
He decided the area was empty enough to have this conversation. "I need a temporary civilian bodyguard."
Sayuri's brother pulled a face. "Your ninja not up to the challenge?"
Gaara sighed deeply this time. "For civilian dignitaries."
"Hm. Makes sense."
Gaara waited for a better response but when it became clear that Hayato would rather stare at him than participate in the conversation, he decided to cut to the chase. This man was very annoying, and the redhead would have called this off if he hadn't witnessed first-hand how good Hayato was in the ring.
"Are you available?"
"For hire?"
Gaara nodded.
"I'm not cheap," Hayato said, stroking his chin.
"I'm sure we can come to an arrangement."
The older man mulled it over and played with his sword for a bit before agreeing.
"Great," Gaara said, not feeling great about it at all. "I'll have the information you'll need sent to you soon."
Hayato waved. "Cheers, Kaze-Gaara!"
Shaking his head, Gaara retreated to his office, hoping to get some paperwork done before lunch; Sayuri would be working already and he desperately wanted to spend his off time with her. She was going to get a kick out of what he'd offered to her brother.
But who was he defending against? Sasuke or Konoha?
He needed to make a decision on where to go from here. He needed to bolster Suna. He needed to do this right. And he didn't have much time.
Sasuke's final parting shot at Gaara after dispersing his sand clone had been an ultimatum.
"You have a week to make your decision. Either you become my ally over Konoha, or I'm attacking Suna first."
…
XXX
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I realised I have yet to mention Gaara and Sakura's ages in here. So, I've been picturing them as 25-year olds. Approximately. Just wanted to set that straight.
Lotsa love! ^_^
R&R
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