Chapter 17.

Title : Warmth.

"Family planning?" Temari, the eldest Sabaku of the family with the blonde hair, asked in exasperation. "Have you even had sex?" she cried in a tone that caused the young Kage to flinch.

Before the said Kage could respond, the other Sabaku sibling so named Kankuro chimed in not very helpfully, "You do realise brother, that the woman's consent is needed before you impregnate her!"

This piece of advice caused Kankuro to get whacked in the head by Temari. She rolled her eyes and sighed whilst turning to her youngest brother, who at that very moment was mentally praying that these two imbeciles would just leave him to his work. They wouldn't possibly start lecturing about sex would they?

Temari's glossy lips were pursed. This was usually a telling sign before a tedious lecture.

Gaara would know all about it, since he had lived with her for several painful years. He took a deep breath and leaned forward, as if preparing himself mentally for the impending lecture. Piles of paper and books were placed lazily on either side of his office desk, and amongst these papers, one such letter was left unattended and incomplete. It was addressed to Lady Tsunade of Konohagakure, with a code red sense of urgency. The Kazekage required the presence of the Hogake of Konoha for urgent assistance on the issue that so threatened his very position.

"I understand from your perspective, but is Hinata ready?" the woman, although known by all as fearsome and cold hearted, she held mother figure towards both her brothers and she intended to take full advantage of her implied role in such sensitive topics. Initially, she had disliked the newcomer from Konoha but gradually, the woman with indigo tresses had started to grow on the entire family, Temari included.

After all, Temari too would be in the same place as Hinata Sabaku, very soon as she herself was engaged in her own family planning with husband, Shikamaru. Both women had points in common.

"Asuma has made it clear, Temari." Gaara spoke in monotone syllables, and his gaze quickly shifted to his elder brother, who at that time gestured towards a stray magazine. The Kage watched on expressionlessly as Kankuro did a horrible charade of reading the contents of the magazine and apparently seeking enlightenment – inwardly Gaara shuddered. He remembered the magazine that once entered his office through Kankuro, and how it never was given the due importance it deserved. Nonetheless, his gaze slid back to his sister who stood at the heart of the office, defiantly with her hands on both her hips. She cut out a decent figure, and her expressions had become softer – an effect of her well meaning husband surely. "It is beyond my control." Gaara spoke with obvious sarcasm, as if it was a matter of fact.

Rolling her blue eyes once again, the woman took a deep breath before unleashing her Kraken in the form of feminism. "That's different brother." She started off, rather innocently. "In case you did not notice, Hinata is not like other women. She respects you."

Gaara listened quietly, closing his eyes and allowing most of the words to register in his mind – all the while, trying to ignore the instantaneous growling from the all too familiar Shukaku, from within. Somewhere in between, he heard the soft closing of the door. This would simply mean that Kankuro was able to save himself from his sister's never ending lecture. They were of course, known to be very helpful, but also extremely tedious. And painful.

Lucky bastard.

"She would never reject you, but as the duty of being a man, you must ask her for consent – it's only ethical." Temari, in all her years of living in Sunagakure, had never imagined herself to be the one to advise her brother on sensitive topics such as marriage, sex and feminism et cetera. She used to be the type of girl who would randomly seek out battles and challenges with the local boys and it always ended the same way – her winning the battles for she was a gross overachiever and quick to learn her abilities. And yet today, she was standing right here – the transformation that she endured in the last few years was unnerving. Today, she would think twice before ever starting a fight with anyone. She would never leave the manor without her husband. Maybe it was the effect of her anticipated pregnancy, that brought out the woman in her? Maybe it was Shikamaru who brought out the real lady in her. Nevertheless, she was still feared by the locals of the village. Women considered her to be their role model and would try to follow her principles – which were rather simple. She simply believed that women were the more superior inventions for they had more obstacles to deal with, than men. Her husband had never tried to prove otherwise, nor did any of her siblings and she was content with that.

And that was why, she loved them so dearly. She never considered Gaara to be superior due to his Kazekage position – she was proud of him.

"And for Kami's sake, try to understand her fear – she is innocent and absolutely inexperienced."

Gaara flinched and absentmindedly glanced at the large wall clock above the both of them. It was going to be a long day.

*Several Hours Later; In Sunagakure*

*Flashback*

"We must present an heir before the next Annual General Meeting, milord." Asuma's loyal assistant spoke in hushed whispers to his superior. It was not that others could overhear their conversation, since it was just them, Kakashi and the Kage himself present for this extremely sensitive subject.

These impending thoughts had consumed the red haired kage and transformed it to a throbbing headache. Making any sudden movements caused the man immense pain, and he could not even keep his eyes open without flinching. He had ordered his butler to dim the lights of his bedchamber for the bright harsh lights would worsen his migraine. At this point, he just wanted to take a painkiller and sleep over it. Or at least, try to.

A soft knock at his door, changed his plans for the night, and with great disdain he groaned in pain and straightened out. "Enter" he responded in a single syllable, praying that whoever it would be would leave him alone as soon as possible. He did not have the patience to deal with another visit from his sister. He just could not.

"T-Temari-san told me I-I would find you h-here" the woman spoke in a whisper, after entering inside Gaara's lair. She wore an expression of confusion and pleasantry at the same time. She had in fact wondered the last time she had a proper moment with her husband – he looked so vulnerable and helpless in that hospital room. His normally powerful and calm demeanour was replaced with short temperedness. He just looked so helpless it almost broke the woman's delicate heart. She had always seen Gaara take pride in his stride, she always observed how diligently her husband tended to his chores and had performed all his responsibilities without any complaints. It was almost inhuman, but Hinata loved that about him.

Tonight, he seemed to return to his state of helplessness. His teal orbs laid its gaze on her but his attention was somewhere else. A frown line had formed on his forehead, and it looked almost permanent – the cause of it being his neverending tedious responsibilities. His mouth was reduced to a tight line on his clear pale skin. Hinata had always taken a liking to her husband's sharp nose. It was the perfect type – it wasn't too long and it wasn't too blunt. Just perfect.

"Yes?" Gaara asked, impatiently and expectantly. He wondered what his wife wanted. Did she need any assistance in her bedchamber? Why did she sleep in a separate room in the first place? They were married, were they not? A married couple was supposed to sleep on the same bed, in the same room together. Nonetheless, he worried another matter had come up that required his attention. He inhaled sharply.

Without another word, the dark haired woman walked less timidly towards the huge bed in the middle of the room, and gently patted her lap. She had been dressed for the night indeed, carefully choosing a midnight blue satin nightdress as her number for the night. The dress was long and reached down to her ankles in contrast to the one she had worn the first night she spent in this room – and Gaara faintly wondered what was so wrong with the former one. Then he remembered the events of that night and blinked twice.

"How did you know?" he asked simply, and slowly made it towards the bed. Initially, he thought not to sit so close to her – but then again, she was his wife. She had that much right over his needs, didn't she? Was it too fast?

"Y-You h-hardly touched t-the food during s-supper," the woman waited patiently whilst letting the kage take his own time to rest his head on her lap. He had noticed that, unlike the last time this dress did not have a satin robe attached and thus her silky skin was exposed without protection. He also noticed that this dress was less scandalous than the first one. This one was more sober, yet it made a much tastier figure than the other. Her skin looked more inviting to explore, and her cleavage looked more enticing than before. Knowing this was her only piece of clothing, he saw that her nipples were faintly prominent through the thin material of her nightdress. Was she feeling cold? Or could it be for another reason?

Shaking such thoughts out of his throbbing head, he carefully adjusted his position so that now his dishevelled turf of crimson hair was directly on her lap with one of his legs casually dangling off the bed. He could, he realised, either watch his wife give him a head massage or he could enjoy it completely with his eyes shut. He decided the latter.

Slowly beginning to rub his temples, Hinata gazed down at her husband who seemingly started to relax slightly. His eyes were closed and his features seemed more relaxed and softer – the frown line had dissipated. This was a good sign, and she started applying a little pressure on his temples. "W-When e-everyone was talking, y-your face had c-changed. L-Like hearing any loud n-noises dis-disturbed you greatly." She continued with her pathetic stutter but she realised it was getting slightly better. "H-Hanabi had the same s-symptoms so I s-suspected."

This little piece of information caused Gaara to open his eyes and stare directly up at his wife. He stared at her expression, which seemed slightly distant but content. When their gaze met, he laid absolutely still for a moment before speaking, in a lower voice, "You were watching me?" Never in his years, had anyone observed him in this light. He was observed yes, but under scrutiny. With uncertainty. This was much different.

Hinata gazed down at her husband. Pearlescent orbs met with teal. Her breath caught for a slight second before she remembered to breathe normally. Instinctively, she lowered her head towards her husband. What she was doing, even she did not realise. But she wanted to make a connection with her husband. She wanted a bond. "I-I've always w-w-watched."

Something seemed to heal inside Gaara Sabaku that very moment. He could faintly feel something shattered beginning to heal inside his chest. It was a gross exaggeration, but there was no other way of explaining. Suddenly, Gaara felt warm.

His migraine seemed to have disappeared as well.

A/N : SORRY for almost abandoning this story. I could not leave after going through my last chapters.

Sorry if it got a little boring and rusty, you must understand I'm writing after MONTHS.

I missed you all a lootttt. Show me some love pls and like/subscribe and REVIEW PLS. all opinion appreciated (mostly positive thanks so much!)