A/N: So here's the last part. Hope you guys enjoyed.

Thanks for reading!

PART III

It was fading, little by little.

Sakura felt… different.

Over a week had passed since Gaara pulled her out of her agitated slumber and there was no doubt the experience had altered her.

As Sakura floated under the water, she closed her eyes and turned her consciousness inward. There was movement within her, a rearranging of sorts. Even though she could not pinpoint what was happening to her exactly, she was very much aware of the shift. The emotions still caught her unawares, and although she had remembered bits and pieces of a life long gone, she was still unable to make much sense of them.

But she was releasing the need to understand. Gaara's words would echo in her ears, reminding her to respect the rhythm of her remembering. This helped to settle her inner discomfort and as a result, the intensity of her feelings was gradually diminishing. She was no longer overwhelmed. Because of her watery essence, Sakura was particularly good at flowing. So she dedicated herself to not resisting the current of emotions and to run with it.

Of course, other feelings were also surfacing. They were, as a matter of fact, becoming stronger by the day. But the difference was that she knew where these new sentiments were coming from. And frankly, she welcomed them.

The memory of the feel of Gaara's arms around her, the sense of safety of falling asleep in his embrace, it all triggered honeyed and warm feelings within her. These were in complete contrast to the uncertainty, sorrow, and anxiety she had been experiencing. As was the case with Gaara, he provided great contrasts. And when being presented with such big differences, it was simple to decide which emotions to choose.

Therefore, Sakura focused on what he incited within her, welcoming the change. She would find herself relishing in his soft smiles, in the way the tone of jade in his eyes would shift depending on his mood, in the way the sun revealed orange glints in his otherwise dark scarlet hair. She would find herself absorbing his strength through his kind words and supportive perspective, finding that he was caring for her with the same commitment with which she was caring for him. They balanced out in the end. These emotions went hand in hand with the longing: her heart would always yearn when she waited for him to return.

The desire for closeness was also flooding her. After he offered her solace within his embrace, Sakura craved his nearness. He must have sensed it because he made it a point to make space for her. If he was cooking or eating, he would move to the side so she could sit next him; if he was meditating, he would allow her to rest her head on his thigh; when he rested on his bedroll, he would gesture for her to come close. These small allowances filled her heart with elation and helped to assuage the pining whenever he was away.

Because he offered her comfort, Sakura would always respond in kind. She would run her fingers through his hair whenever she had the chance. The softness of his locks had been a revelation. To realize Gaara welcomed her physical contact had brought with it great delight. Therefore, she wasted no chance to offer caresses, loving it when he leaned into her touch. It gave him ease when he returned to the pool exhausted. The fatigue he was experiencing was not just physical, but emotional and mental as well.

This was another element that weighed on her, the knowing he was pushing himself to his limit. Although Sakura knew the Sand Roam was meant to push participants to the edge of their abilities, she was very much concerned for Gaara's well-being. What he needed was prolonged rest and quality sleep. His mind and body needed to recover equilibrium. She sincerely wished the challenges would come to an end sooner rather than later.

Rising inside the pool, she broke through the surface, looking up at the endless sky above. Sunset was fast approaching and Gaara had not returned yet. He had been gone since yesterday afternoon and it had been her hope that the present task would prove a short one. Just a few days ago, Gaara had survived an encounter with a lightning wyrm that had left him seriously wrung out. The battle had raged for long hours and had, no doubt, been his toughest challenge yet. Severely wounded but alive, Gaara had stumbled his way back to the oasis. Sakura had wasted no time in flooding him with her energies, lifting the water from the pool in order to sheath him in a healing cocoon. He was so fatigued, he was unconscious practically the whole time it took her to treat the wounds scattered across his body. When he finally opened his eyes, he was awake just long enough to get something to drink and have a quick bite. Sakura allowed him to slip back into slumber, knowing very well rest was essential.

The next day he had shown great improvement and was finally able to share the full account of his clash with the wyrm. He also attempted to stand and move about but Sakura was having none of it. His body had been seriously injured and although she had helped, its healing response was slowing down due to accumulated exhaustion. Therefore, she watched him like a hawk and did not allow him to stray from his bedroll.

Thanks to this, the day after that he was feeling much better and his wounds showed amazing progress. Sakura would have confined him to his bedroll for the whole day again but the desert had other plans.

The Sand Roam summons came around mid-afternoon.

Gaara dressed and prepared to leave with his characteristic stoicism. Sakura bit her lip to prevent herself from ranting, thinking the whole thing was incredibly unfair. But she was aware any complaints on her part would just be unnecessary weight. At the moment, Gaara had enough on his plate for him to deal with her opinion. As he had always told her, the Sand Roam was what it was. Adding mental drama to the challenges would only pull him under.

With his usual promise to return as soon as possible, he stepped out of the sanctuary of the crescent stones and wandered out into the dunes.

Knowing very well his body was still in the process of recovery, Sakura was concerned about the state he would be returning in this time round. With any luck, the present task would have proven simple, with no threat to his health. She held steadfast to this hope.

But her expectations were proven futile some time later.

A gust of wind pummelled against the stones all around the oasis, funnelling though the small space between the tips of the crescent and blowing straight at her. Sakura felt it lash across her face. She covered her eyes with her arms, blinking at the sand the draft had carried. A second later, another squall hit the pool with the same intensity, causing waves to crash against the rocks. Perplexed, she looked all around as the wind and sand continued their assault, one powerful gust at a time. The rocks responded, their usually unwavering energy vibrating with a sense of unrest. The cacti and succulents followed suit, their vitality becoming restless, and the trunk of the desert willow began shaking.

The realization of what the wind and sand were conveying hit her instantly: urgency.

Something of great magnitude was happening.

Sakura closed her eyes and became one with the water. She spread her consciousness into the small streams running deep within the earth. The ground around her was eliciting the same kind of agitation and it took some doing for her not to be overwhelmed by it. She continued to search, connecting with the waters hidden underground in an attempt to find an answer.

But then the voice of the pool resonated within her and Sakura heard it speak his name.

Gaara.

Something was happening to Gaara.

Her eyes flew open and she willed the water to rise. It lifted her up in the air, clearing the top of the rocks and continuing further. Up and up she went, until she could get an eagle's eye view of the surrounding landscape.

'Where?' she asked.

The water turned her towards the left, where she could make out some figures in the distance. Even this far away, she could make out the deep scarlet of his hair. He was in the middle of a fight against three hulking figures. In a radius around the bout, she could see several people, all of them standing around as if waiting.

Sakura saw Gaara take a hit only to fall to the ground.

He did not stand up again.

– XXXXXXXX –

The bastards had waited for him on his way back. No doubt they had been spying on the route he took after finishing each challenge. They must have been aware of his battle against the lighting wyrm a few days back too. It was a sound strategy if you saw it objectively: catch your enemy at their weakest and attack with everything you have.

What they had was three large stone golems.

Gaara's exhausted body and depleted chakra were simply no match for their brutal strength. He did his best to dodge and move around them but he simply could not avoid all their blows. Hit by hit they reduced the little stamina he had until he was breathing heavily, barely able to stand.

All the while, the group kept their distance and waited for their creations to finish the job. Gaara recognized some of the faces in the assembly: people who had called him monster to his face, people who had openly shunned and harassed him. The venom in their voice had not diminished in the least throughout the years.

"We will never accept you as Chieftain!" one of them shouted as he continued to battle the golems.

"The desert can't choose you if you're dead!" another exclaimed.

It was amazing how they still carried the hatred and the loathing with them.

Their words only hardened his resolve.

But even though he did his best to deal with the golems, his body had finally reached its limit. His legs did not respond to his command to dive to the right and one of the creatures hit him square in the torso, sending him flying through the air.

He landed forcefully some distance away, the air leaving his lungs completely. Harnessing the last of his strength, he bid his body to stand up but it could not obey. His chakra was completely exhausted.

With his cheek against the hot dry, ground, Gaara acted on the last choice available to him: he opened up to the desert and asked for its help.

But no response came.

Instead of a full-on reply from the landscape, a small, thin tendril of sand rose next to his head. It caressed his cheek lightly before dissolving in the breeze.

Gaara blinked, utterly befuddled.

He heard the heavy steps of the golems as they came closer, intent on finishing their task.

Once more, he turned inward and pleaded. Asked desperately for aid.

But the desert did not respond. It remained still. The vastness all around him held back.

A fraught sound escaped his lips.

Give in, he heard the desert say. Yield.

'You want me to submit to my enemies? They will not accept my capitulation. What they want is my life.'

The thin tendril of sand returned to stroke his hair but was gone in an instant.

Cede.

Gaara closed his eyes. There was nothing left for him to do. No action left in him and the golems were moments away from ending his existence.

Trust, the desert insisted.

Letting out a deep breath, he did the most difficult thing he had ever done in his life: he let go. Completely.

'If you wish for me to lay down my life for you,' he told the desert, 'so be it.'

In the next instant, he felt the foot of one of the golems connect with his battered torso. The blow sent him flying through the air once more.

As he landed, tumbling among rocks and sand, he realized he could barely feel pain anymore. Everything was going numb. Slowly, he was losing his connection with his body.

The golems lumbered close, battering him once more before throwing him into the air. Amidst the beating, Gaara realized he had one sole regret.

In a hoarse voice, he whispered her name.

– XXXXXXXX –

The fear rose in a torrent within her, clawing at her stomach and making her tremble.

Sakura was paralyzed, unable to fight the dread. Yet time continued to tick away, uncaring of the void that had opened up within her and threatened to swallow her whole.

The golems kept moving in on Gaara, pummelling him with their blows.

She was well aware his body would not be able to withstand much more.

The sorrow pushed itself into her awareness and robbed her of breath. A grief so intense it made her feel as if all colour had vanished from the world, never to return.

She felt so small, so insignificant. All she wanted was to crawl away and hide.

Gaara's body rolled on the ground and the dread was back, chaining her up and preventing her from acting.

'I'm powerless,' she told herself, a dry sob shaking her frame. 'I can't leave the pool. I can't move that far away from water.'

An overwhelming anguish rose to the fore and Sakura felt her heart break into a thousand pieces. Nothing in life would ever make her whole again.

The emotions were so extreme, she let out a desperate scream and clasped her head in her hands. There was no way of avoiding the force of the feelings, they kept slamming against her incessantly.

Just like the blows Gaara was receiving.

Sakura lifted her head and forced herself to look at him. He never ran away from a challenge, never looked the other way when something proved difficult. Stoic and steadfast, he continued on his path, facing it all even when he had no strength left.

He had taught her so much.

It was time she put the lesson to the test.

Turning inward, she looked the dread in the eye. Gave it her full attention. She felt herself being pulled in, falling into an abyss where nothing but fear existed. She gave in to it, let it rise without restraint. And as overwhelming as it felt, Sakura realized something: there was a part of her that was aware of the dread. A part that stood apart and was untouched by it.

The terror was just a part… a part of her whole.

She was not the fear.

Pulling back, she created distance from the emotion. In a similar vein, she looked straight at the grief, taking in the anguish fully, and came to the same conclusion.

It was a part of her, not all of her.

She was not her grief.

The whole contained the parts. It was big enough to hold them, to experience them, and still remain standing.

The realization unlocked something within her, a portal that burst open with a force that left her reeling. She felt power flooding through her limbs. It greeted her like an old friend, one who had been waiting a long time for her to let it in.

It surged through her, flooded her entire body until there was no space left for anything else. Every particle of her body vibrated with it, clearing away all her confusion and cutting through her emotions like a blade.

Lifting her face to the sky, she felt a yell rise from the very core of her being.

"I am not my past!"

The sound of her voice echoed up into the ether and was gone, taken what she did not want with it.

As she turned towards the fight once more, she heard him clearly.

"Sakura."

Her heart answered fervently to the sound of Gaara's voice, the core of her entire being focusing exclusively on him.

When he called, there was nothing she could do but answer.

– XXXXXXXX –

The beating was brutal yet somehow, Gaara was still conscious. A part of his mind wondered idly just how much he would have to endure before the end.

The golems kept coming, their unnatural strength never diminishing. As constructs, they would be able to keep this up for days without tiring. It was all a matter of how long it would take for Gaara's body to give out.

He hoped it wouldn't be much longer.

But as one of the creatures bent down to pick him up, a gust of wind blasted its hand away. An intense squall descended from the open dunes and blew with such force, the golems were forced to take a step back.

Gaara heard the voice of the desert within the gale, heard it sing in elation.

His confused reaction was not allowed to last long.

The ground trembled, quaking with a force so powerful Gaara felt his body bounce upon it. With his ear against the surface, he could hear a distinct and loud rumbling approaching, his mind disbelieving what his senses were telling him.

He could hear the sound of flowing water under the ground.

A moment later, it exploded from under the earth, a great stream bursting several metres above the ground.

Gaara heard the hostile members of the Clan scream in confusion and fear some distance away but his entire focus had been captured by something else entirely.

As the fountain of water dissipated and fell to the earth in a flash of heavy rainfall, Sakura emerged from its core.

Moving with the fluid grace of a feline, she rushed at the nearest stone golem, no hesitation in her step. A single punch and she had deprived the creature of its leg, pulverizing it with the force of her blow.

Despite falling to one side, the construct reacted, swinging its heavy arm at her. She dodged the incoming blow and twisted, punching the golem's limb as it moved past her. Dust and pebbles went flying in a burst as its arm was destroyed by her fist. The creature fell to the ground and she wasted no time in delivering her coup de grace, stomping on its head and crushing it underneath her foot.

With deliberate purpose, Sakura turned towards the other two golems.

After such an astonishing display, Gaara somehow found the strength to lift himself unto his elbows.

Having lost the element of surprise, the two constructs bore down on her in a coordinated assault. They towered above her, sending a barrage of attacks one after another. But she was too quick for them. She danced around their blows, dodging with such ease Gaara could only liken her movements to flowing water. But the golems kept coming, working together so as to prevent any opening for her to land a punch. As one of them swung at her, the other would appear before her, forcing her to step back or change course.

They were hulky and clumsy creatures, nonetheless. When fighting them, all one had to do was to be patient and make sure to avoid their blows. Their ungainly movements would yield a chance eventually. It seemed Sakura was very much aware of this fact. As long as she continued to move, an opportunity would present itself.

It came in the form of a lumbering kick aimed at her side by one of the golems. She dodged underneath it, sliding across the ground on her knees under the creature's legs. She aimed a punch right at the hinge of its hip, disintegrating the joint. Deprived of its balance, the golem fell on its side like a tree being cut down. It certainly made a similar clamour when it hit the ground, the boulders that made up its body rattling loudly.

Sakura delivered a kick to its chest, pieces of rock flying every which way as she connected. Its entire torso crumbled and the creature stopped moving.

One left.

With the grace of her movements, she made quick work of it. One punch eliminated its right arm and a perfectly aimed kick pulverized its left calf. The golem fell down to one knee, its head coming level with Sakura's eyes. As she was standing at its side, she lifted her arm and elbowed it in the ear, the skull-like stone exploding with the force of her blow.

As the golem's body fell heavily to the ground, Sakura turned towards Gaara's true assailants. She stood directly between him and them, her fists at the ready.

She was the most magnificent sight Gaara had ever laid eyes on.

His attackers, evidently, did not share his opinion. They shouted in dread and scattered to the four winds.

As they ran, Gaara saw Sakura's legs twitch. She was contemplating the possibility of following them, no doubt. But to his elation, her caring nature took precedence. Turning his way, she fell into a run.

He stared in wonder as she approached. When she came closer, he noticed a glint in the middle of her forehead. There was a mark there, in the shape of a diamond. It flashed with a different kind of chakra that was still very much hers but that he had never felt before. Somehow, he had the sense she was more herself now than she had been before.

"Gaara," she said, coming to kneel beside him. "Let me have a look at your wounds."

But he pushed past his exhaustion and commanded his body to sit up.

"You should lie down and keep still," she reprimanded.

Although her worry was merited, Gaara would have none of it. He took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. Kissing her knuckles, he fixed his eyes on hers.

"You are glorious," he told her, his voice laden with admiration and a whole array of emotions too intense to properly identify.

Sakura stared at him for a long silent moment before her lips lifted in a splendid smile.

Cupping his cheek with her free hand, she leaned forward and kissed him.

Although before he had been unable to feel pain because of numbness, now he was unable to feel his hurts because of bliss.

Somehow he managed to find the strength to lift his arm and pull her close, allowing her to deepen her kiss. For a moment he believed he had died without realizing it and was now in an afterlife filled with nothing but delight.

He could have gone on kissing her forever but Sakura did not allow it. After what in Gaara's perception felt like a brief moment, she pulled back.

The wry chuckle she elicited when he groaned in protest was music to his ears. He kept hold of her hand, cradling it against his chest.

"You are severely wounded," she remarked, doing her best to sound stern. "I think your ankle is broken."

He nodded. "I think a few ribs are broken too."

Letting out a sigh, Sakura was on the verge of speaking when the desert made itself known.

The sand rose all around them, covering them in a protective cocoon. It swirled happily, its life-energy resonating deep within Gaara's core. He narrowed his eyes at it, slightly peeved.

"So this is what you had in mind when you asked me to surrender," he commented sourly.

A tendril detached itself from the wall of sand and took on the shape of a hand. It hovered in front of his face, and before he could do anything about it, it curled a finger and flicked his forehead.

"Ow!" he exclaimed.

The hand dissipated in front of his eyes and he was certain he could hear laughter somewhere in the background.

"What was that all about?" Sakura asked.

He opened his mouth to explain but was not allowed.

Another tendril of sand separated itself from the cocoon and spiralled around Gaara's arm. He relaxed his fingers so as to release Sakura's hand as the sand lifted his limb but he found that another tendril was actually pressing their palms together. After a moment, yet more sand flowed towards their joined hands and twirled its way up Sakura's arm.

"What's going on?" she asked, slightly nervous.

"Don't worry," he replied with a smile. "Wait and see."

The coarse feel of the sand against his skin was soon replaced by a strange tingling. The coiled tendrils swirling round their linked limbs thickened until it covered them completely. Gaara could feel the desert's joy as it went about its task and his heart could not help but respond in kind.

After long moments, the sand pulled back slowly and the cocoon around them began to dissolve.

Gaara looked down at the exposed skin of his arm and at the marks left by the desert. They coiled round his arm in a series of abstract shapes and they glinted brightly with chakra.

Relief flooded him, followed quickly by profound fulfilment.

"What does this mean, exactly?" Sakura asked, looking in astonishment at the marks left on her arm.

"It means, my fighting nymph," he told her with satisfaction, "that we have been chosen."

She blinked a few times, clearly unable to get her head around the full implication of what he had just said.

When she opened her mouth, to ask another question undoubtedly, Gaara did not give her the chance. He pulled her into his arms and fell backwards with a laugh.

Sakura scolded him, told him to be mindful of his ribs, but he was beyond caring at this point. Gaara looked up at the sky and felt his chest fill with the deep gratitude and exultation of having a wish fulfilled.

– XXXXXXXX –

"Are you certain about this?" Gaara asked.

Sakura had managed to strip him down to his undergarments and the state of his body had made her gasp inwardly. But she did her best not to show it. Besides, she would make him right as rain soon enough.

"Completely," she assured him.

"I can't swim with my ankle like it is."

"You won't have to," she said, standing next to him.

Grimacing slightly as he slid forward on the rock he was sitting on, Sakura finally got him into the water.

She followed him in, and just as she had promised, she commanded the water to hold him up. He floated with his head above the surface without him having to exert himself physically. She had also borrowed some of the heat from the nearby stones to warm the pool, adding to his comfort.

Bruises and abrasions covered him completely, and just like he had predicted, more than one bone was broken. Due to the extent of the damage, she had decided it was best for him to receive the full power of her healing ability. Hence, she had asked him to come into the pool. It was going to take all of her skill to be able to patch him up this time and she was certain it would be slow going.

What came as an unexpected surprise, though, was the desert's help.

Connected to the water as she always was, Sakura became aware of a greater presence behind it. The pool, with its own life-energies, stood on its own but was also a part of this grander essence.

The desert was the whole that contained the parts.

Sakura smiled and felt tears gather behind her eyes. But she forced them back. The task before her would require all of her concentration.

The marks on her arm began to emit a soft rosy glow mixed with jade as she released her chakra. She felt the environs beyond the pool stir and turn their attention towards her. She was startled when she realized she had suddenly become the focus of a vastness beyond description. It was a rather humbling feeling, making her conscious of the sheer immensity of the desert's awareness.

Nonetheless, she also realized it was holding back. It approached her tentatively, as if given her the chance to get used to it being there.

She smiled wryly at her own expense: if this was the desert being cautious on her behalf, she did not want to think what it was like to receive its full attention.

This was what Gaara communed with all the time?

Although she did not believe it possible, her admiration for him increased once more and Sakura could not help but marvel at his abilities.

The desert held still, as if waiting for her move.

Sakura felt like if it were looking over her shoulder and assessing her handiwork.

So she continued to release her chakra and to tap into the healing essence of the water. Her energies circled Gaara, evaluated his injuries in order to begin with the most pressing. Once she had settled for the ribs on his right side, she began to work alongside the water in order to heal the bone.

The desert took it as its cue. It channelled its life-energy through her and Sakura felt her breath catch. The marks on her arm ignited like flames and the capacity of her healing amplified in a way she would have never thought possible. The mix of her chakra with the desert's vitality allowed her to heal Gaara's bones in no time. Before she knew it, she was already moving towards the broken ribs on his left side.

Sakura was speechless, unable to comprehend the level of power running through her. Something within her told her she would never be able to grasp it.

So she concentrated on healing Gaara.

She had used her chakra to lull him into a state of semi-consciousness, offering him as much ease as possible. Whenever he stirred in discomfort as she treated a particularly painful injury, she would bring her face close to his and whisper reassurance in his ear. This seemed to do the trick and he would allow himself to be cradled by the water once more.

Every time she offered him tenderness, Sakura became aware of the desert reacting to her actions. It took her a while to realize it was approval.

She smiled, coming to a realization.

'That's what we do, isn't it? We take care of him.'

The vastness answered her.

Never would have Sakura thought that a simple 'yes' could feel so overpowering.

Swallowing with emotion, she focused once more on Gaara. With the desert's help, she was done a lot sooner. All his wounds had been treated and were no longer hurting him. Even though Sakura could have continued to channel her chakra through him, it was best for him to rest and allow his body to heal at its own rhythm from now on.

As she moved back and commanded the water to let him float on the surface, she was aware of the desert pulling away from her. She felt its absence keenly and felt strangely spacious within herself. Getting used to its assistance would undoubtedly take some doing.

Coming to rest on her stomach next to Gaara, Sakura watched him sleep. She caressed his hair lovingly. Soon, she was also lulled into slumber as the events of the day began to take their toll on her.

It was well into the night by the time she woke to the lovely feel of fingers running up and down her back. Sakura opened her eyes only to find herself the focus of a jade stare.

She smiled at him, lifting slightly so she could kiss him gently on the cheek. "How are you feeling?"

His attention turned inward as he assessed his body. "All I feel is a dull ache, particularly around my middle. But it's completely manageable. Nothing compared to what I was experiencing before."

"Good," she replied. Moving her hand over his ribs, channelling her chakra in order to offer him some relief.

As she did so, a hundred questions about the future flashed through her mind. There were so many things she did not know about the Wind Clan and there were so many things she had to tell Gaara about the rediscovery of her lost power. There were countless details she wanted to share with him about her experience. She was certain he felt the same way concerning the end of the Sand Roam and the desert's choice.

Before she became overwhelmed, Sakura pulled back from the frenzy of her thoughts. She had the perfect role model in front of her and it was best to follow his example.

Deal with things as they came and take it one step at a time.

Once she was done with his ribs, Sakura turned her face towards him only to find him grinning.

"What is it?" she asked, unsure of the source of his merriment.

"You have finally proved you are a true nymph."

Sakura arched an eyebrow.

Gaara lifted his hand, bringing it up to stroke her cheek. "You finally deprived me of my clothing, pulled me into the water, and had your way with me."

Despite herself, she laughed. "So I have."

"So she admits it," he countered. "Too bad I was unconscious while you were running your hands all over my body. Now that would have been an experience."

With a wide smile, Sakura leaned closer to his face, her lips brushing his chin. "I'll make sure you're wide awake the next time I have my way with you."

His jade eyes sparkled with desire. "Well, I'm wide awake now."

"You're recovering from full body injuries, not to mention five broken ribs."

"There's no time like the present."

She shook her head at him.

"Am I to become the first person to leave a nymph's pool without being ravished?" he asked, downcast.

"Who says you're leaving?"

She leaned down into him and kissed him.

Gaara lifted his arms to pull her closer, returning the kiss deeply, but as Sakura brushed against his side, he winced.

Pulling back, she looked down at him with a deadpan stare. "My point has been duly proven."

"Fine," Gaara capitulated. "But you won't deprive me of this." He pulled her down and settled her against his him.

Sakura carefully wrapped her arms around him, over and under the water, and they floated together in a tangle of limbs, effortlessly suspended.

Despite his bluster, Gaara was soon drifting back to sleep.

Sakura snuggled her cheek against his chest, relishing in the closeness. It made her heart sing and she felt the water all around them respond.

Stirring, Gaara cracked open an eye. "Do you hear them?" he asked drowsily.

"What?"

"The chimes of your joy," he replied, smiling widely before succumbing once more to slumber.

Sakura lifted slightly to kiss him fully on the lips.

"Yes, I hear them, my love," she whispered. "But they're not mine. They're ours."

Taking hold of his hand, Sakura linked their marked arms together before turning towards the dark heavens above them. The myriad stars of the endless desert sky shone brightly and she basked in their brightness, all the while listening to the sound of bells ringing in the night.