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29. An Oasis without Sleep
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It became a habit to have lunch together and go for a small walk afterwards instead of searching for a fitting building, because there had already been one on their radar. Gaara told her a lot about Suna, the people living here, their habits and history. Sakura worked in the hospital and trained four times a week, whenever the kazekage found the time she sparred with him.
After two months of lunch dates he invited her to join him on his first free day in like forever. It would be her first whole day alone with kazekage.
For the first time the Konoha-nin had breakfast with all three sand siblings together in the private kitchen. Kankuro worked magic in the kitchen as always.
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After their delightful breakfast Gaara led Sakura to another building for the med school he had heard of to be vacant. It was a former board school where Suna children had to go first to qualify either for the ninja academy or other kinds of education.
"It's perfect, kazekage-sama! Much better than the other location!" Sakura looked at the dark-red painted building.
"I hoped you would say that. The council has already agreed to use it for the new med school. We only need to deal with the madness of bureaucracy now, then it's all yours."
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The pinkette nodded and smiled happily.
"You should come here tomorrow with the other medics and view the premises. Take notes what you want to change and which things you need. I'll ensure that it gets implemented."
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Then he took her to the stables to get two of his horses for their desert tour. It was a common activity here in Suna. The young kunoichi didn't have a thing for those hay-munching monstrosities, but she couldn't deny him his efforts to enjoy his free day. At least he promised her she would get a calm and nice one. He was really proud of his horses, he told her it was a special breed of Suna, but she didn't know what to do with that, so she smiled and let him help her onto her horse. He wrapped her in a thin scarf to prevent sunburn and dehydration.
"It's important to coat yourself well. We're going into the desert. You have two full gourds of water right here on your saddle if you get thirsty."
He covered himself up and mounted his own horse, then they left the village behind. "We will ride to the secret valley and follow the river to the oasis, where dinner awaits us. Relax, there's no stress."
She was glad he kept a slow pace. They really were alone, there was no ANBU around, but of course she suspected them to be somewhere in the area nearby. No kage went out without any protection.
As they reached the dunes they broke into trot to escape the immense heat quicker. They made a break to drink and the young man asked her if everything was alright. She was impressed how much he cared about her well-being.
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In the early afternoon they reached the secret valley, it was a rocky landscape in the dunes with a creek and green all around. In the desert you see the importance of water as the stream of life. They rode along the creek bed, then he stopped again for a break. They sat down under a tree and let the horses browse the fresh green.
Gaara removed the scarf from his face and looked at her with his turquoise windows to his soul "Are you hungry?"
"Just a little bit." She repeated shyly.
He took out a paper wrap from his pouch and handed it to her. It was dried fruit, they shared them in silence. It was a wonderful day with very impressive scenic beauty. And a very impressive man beside.
Shut up!
Shut up yourself! You know I'm right.
Yes…
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"This valley is one of my favourite places. I've been here often as a child. There is a temple not far from here where Sunians come to pray for a long and healthy life. We call it the temple of life. As I nearly died they came here with diverse offerings and thanked the gods for returning them their kazekage. Do you want to see it?"
"I would love to!" Sakura liked the traditions and habits here, they seemed like one big family always caring for each other. Konoha should be grateful to have such an ally.
He rose and helped her to get up.
They trotted to the temple, which turned out to be an architectural masterpiece hewn in the rock face of the valley. Gaara led her through the beautiful shrine and they offered dried figs for sacrifice.
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Afterwards they mounted their horses again, the position of the sun indicated it was in the end of the afternoon now. The young kazekage turned in his saddle to face her, "Do you mind if we speed up a little? We're almost there and I want to show you the oasis before sunset."
"Sure. Let's go."
Gaara nodded and they fell into canter. Sakura had so much fun, she speed up her horse and enjoyed the wind dancing through her blowing clothes. It felt like freedom. The redhead brought his horse to the same level and loved the view she gave him, in that moment she looked like the epitome of happiness. He knew she would love the riding out into the desert.
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Finally the valley led to a wide-spread oasis and he slowed them down. They had a beautiful view of the green spot of land in the middle of the bleak and dry desert.
"It is called the heart of Suna's desert." Gaara explained and that was exactly what it looked like.
They rode to his favourite spot, where servants had built up a small camp as shelter from the sun and they were already cooking dinner. The two shinobi descended and sat down at a table, because their meal was ready. It was a traditional Harira followed by a stuffed quail with raisins and oriental spices, Baba Ganoush and rice.
The redhead pointed her to follow him. They walked around the shading plants and watched the sun go down mirrored from the large pond the middle. Gaara picked a fig from the tree close beside them.
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"Once there was a man, he had no money and was only a poor farmer. He had seen that wonderful princess passing by in her palanquin a few times. Her smile was the most beautiful he had ever seen, her eyes were so enchanting he always remembered them when he closed his own, but he knew that a man of his social rank would probably never have a chance to even talk with her let alone to date the pretty princess.
One day he was working on the fields near the oasis as a camel trotted by. It seems someone was sitting on top, he gathered the reins and led it to the shadow of the palms. The camel lay down and he noticed a small, feminine figure on its back. Seemingly she had been exposed to the desert heat for a long time, she was sleeping and likely very dehydrated. Carefully he pulled her down to sit with him in the shadows. Slowly he tried to wake her up and give her some water. She eagerly drank, but drifted off again and again. The farmer didn't know what else he could do than to feed her a ripe fig as she was conscious for the next time. The fig tasted so good, she didn't drift off again, instead she smiled at him and at that moment he knew it was the princess who unbeknownst hunted his dreams for a long time now.
She was very weak and told him her caravan had been raided and slaughtered, she had been lucky to escape. The farmer gave her another fig and hugged her tight during the night in his tent. You must know the nights in the desert could be really cold." The redhead looked at her.
"Mhm, cold you say." She chuckled and Gaara smirked at her.
"Anyway, on the next morning he woke up alone and thought it had all been a dream, but she came back into his tent with a few freshly picked figs and gave him the most wonderful smile he could have imagined. She fed him like he did yesterday and as he asked her why she was doing this, she answered him that for the first time in her life she felt to be at the right place with the right person. He said he was just a farmer and he had absolutely nothing to offer. She pointed at the figs and told him he had saved her life, she wanted to make his a little better.
And so the high princess married a poor farmer. They were happy with little, and what they lacked in worldly goods they outweighed with their unconditional love."
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The pink-haired kunoichi looked overwhelmed by his romantic side "That's a beautiful story, kazekage-sama."
His intense turquoise eyes bore into her emerald ones "Sakura, I think it's time to be on first name terms with each other. Please call me Gaara."
Sakura nodded with a smile and whispered "Thank you, Gaara."
He returned her smile and continued "So according to the story I told you before, there's that tradition in my country. The man gives the woman he courts a fig, she has to eat it. If it's ripe and tasty it means luck for their future together, if it's not the Gods have an objection to them being together".
With one hand he opened her palm carefully and the other put the fig in there, without ever breaking their intense eye contact.
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Sakura's cheek turned a bit red, then she asked him sheepishly "How do I eat a fig without a knife and a spoon?"
He smiled at her and carefully pulled the fig in half with skilled fingers. "Like that. Now put your hand on the skin, bend the inside out and just eat the pulp."
He ate first and she followed suit, their eyes still connected. "Mmhhmm, Gaara, it was delicious!"
"You must know Suna is famous for its figs." He smiled at her.
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For a moment they just stared at each other, then he leaned forward and captured her lips with his in a nice and slow first kiss.
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Sakura shivered a bit, he rubbed her arms and smiled "We should head back now, it's getting late and I don't want you to get too cold."
His infamous sand brought them quickly back to the tower. Gaara kissed her innocently goodnight and went upstairs to his own rooms.
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Back at home she wanted to talk with Kakashi about it, so she went over and knocked at his door. He didn't answer, but she could feel his chakra.
Exuberant she burst into his vestibule and then his room babbling "Kakashi, I know you're here! Guess what happened, Gaara…" She stopped right in her tracks due to the view she had.
Obviously the infamous copy-nin had a female visitor, he was standing with his back to her and took something out of a box on the partition rack. It was a condom. He turned to her and gave her an annoyed look. Sakura noticed he was almost naked with only his slacks and the mask on, she stared at him.
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The blonde girl tied up in his bed questioned unblushingly leering at Sakura "Oh, great! Will she bear us some company?"
"No she will not." He stated rigorously, then crossed his arms over his toned chest and cocked his head to the gaping pink-haired kunoichi in his door frame.
"Sakura, as you can see I'm pretty occupied right now. Could you please just… back off?" he sounded quite pissed off.
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Deeply shocked she backed out and closed the door to his rooms.
With her back on the door the pinkette stood there in the hallway of the guest quarters and she tried to remember how to breathe.
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"Now, where were we?" Kakashi's dark and lusty voice brought back her senses.
Shamefully she walked into her own bedroom next to his.
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As she heard the first moans of the woman, Sakura decided she had to leave. She went over her balcony up to the rooftop of the kazekage building.
She had been sitting there for a while trying to relax and forget that strange experience as she heard someone approach.
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"Sakura? What are you doing here?" Gaara spoke as he slowly walked over to her. He was only wearing a sand-coloured close-fitting shirt and black loose pants, both emphasized his athletic shinobi physique. The light breeze fanned his freshly showered scent to her nose.
"I can't sleep." She answered and all in all it was true, she was tired but she couldn't go to bed with her noisy neighbours she wouldn't be able to sleep.
The young kazekage sat down next to her with one leg angled and an elbow propped up on his knee to support his head. They both gazed into the distance, he was so close she could feel his body warmth.
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He turned his head a bit to look at her "Is there something you want to talk about?" Gaara's turquoise eyes reminded her of a freshly filled alpine lake after the snowmelt in spring.
Sakura smiled at him, she couldn't tell him what happened earlier. It would probably offend his hospitality and reflect badly on Kakashi or even Konoha.
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The redhead continued "I can't sleep either. As the Akatsuki took Shukaku from me we all thought I would be finally able to sleep at night and relax, but…" He turned back to stare into the distant desert dunes. "I don't know how to describe it, I may sound insane, but it feels like I could still hear him." Secretly he was very afraid of scaring her off, he had been careless and had talked before thinking properly.
The pinkette hummed in understanding. "What does he sound like?"
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The redhead turned back to her face and smirked. "You're amusing, Sakura. I tell you something, which I'm pretty sure every other person may feel disgusted or think I'm losing my sanity, and your only reaction is to ask me how he sounds like. And I thought I'm a strange person!"
Gaara began to laugh and she shrugged with a smile. He was different when they were alone far from formalities.
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The young kazekage chuckled one last time before he regained composure and questioned in a stern voice "Do you really want to know?"
"Of course! I don't know how it feels to have a demon in your head." The pinkette stated mirthfully.
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Gaara chuckled, then he gazed back into distance and said in a serious tone. "Shukaku sounds really angry. It feels like there are multiple voices of him still inside of my head and each craving for different things. Sometimes it's hard for me to focus and keep it under control. It's getting worse." He turned his eyes to her again.
Sakura responded with a big lovely smile "Hm. Maybe I could help you."
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He returned her smile and put a hand carefully on hers "Maybe." Gaara's fingers started to slowly caress her hand "And what is keeping you awake?"
Sakura told him about the last Uchiha hunting her dreams trying to kill her. It was a true fact, she had many nightmares of him and couldn't fall asleep alone without at least a small panic attack. That was one of her personal secrets. Gaara told her one of his secrets, so did she in return.
The kazekage didn't press on details, he just listened what she wanted him to know. It was a sad story, he hadn't known that Sasuke had tried to kill her on so many occasions.
"I'm glad you are here now, Sakura. You are safe here, there won't be any harm. I promise."
Gaara walked her down back to her room and kissed her innocently good night, before he went upstairs into his own apartment.
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She went to bed, where strangely a small pug had been already warming her bed for her. Sakura didn't mind, she liked Pakkun and who could deny a preheated bed?
Suna seems to be a wonderful place.
The pinkette slept peacefully without a nightmare, she didn't know if due to Gaara's kind words or the calming prescence of the ninken.