Hey Guys!

This will be the last chapter for a week or so. We're going on a city trip for a few days. I don't know when I'll find the time to write the next one.

Have fun ;)

SquaMata

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42. Goodbye Suna

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On the next day both Konoha-nin were standing in the middle of the kazekage's office, Gaara had sent an ANBU with his order as they had been enjoying another tasteful breakfast with the sand siblings. The village leader stood up, walked in front of his desk to lean on it and crossed his arms over his broad chest. Kakashi was a bit irritated by the informal stance and he was not prepared for what would come next.

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"You two will leave the day after tomorrow."

"Pardon?" Kakashi doubted he had understood him right.

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"You are going back to Konoha."

The copy-nin frowned in disbelief. "What?"

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"You heard me." He smirked.

Kakashi's lone eye went back and forth from Sakura to Gaara. The young kunoichi didn't say a thing.

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"I will announce it later to the council."

"Could you please tell me what this is all about?"

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The redhead ignored his question he walked back to his side of the desk and spoke "Tomorrow evening there will be an official dinner with the council to thank you for your support and to ensure the alliance."

The silverhaired jounin was confused, would that end up in the next political disaster?

"I hope you two enjoyed your stay. Feel free to make your preparations for your journey now." Then he sat down and the two Konoha ninjas left his office.

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Kakashi was irritated, as he had returned by midnight she had been already sleeping. He didn't have a clue what had happened.

The kazekage had always been a person who kept his cards close to his chest until he decided to lay it on the line. Gaara was an as collected and controlled man as he was, he knew he would never do something meaningful without thinking it fully through. Also the young leader would never give up a fight so easily. There had to be a more hidden reason than the obvious. Something had happened between the couple.

They walked back to their rooms in silence.

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Wordlessly she opened the door of her room and offered him to come in. They would have to talk.

Sakura sat down at the comfy lounger as he took an aloof position leaning on the partition rack.

Kakashi sighed and sent her his questioning teacher look.

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"What the hell happened?" His voice sounded stern and calm as ever when he was in teacher-mode, but he didn't hide his disappointment.

"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you. Not now."

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The silverhead sighed again and continued with his distant tone "I'm in charge of the mission, Sakura. I need to know."

The young kunoichi looking up at him shrugged excusingly. "I can't tell you much at the moment, but our mission wasn't accomplished entirely."

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He altered his posture to an upright, dominant and intimidating stance, then he asserted forcefully "Sakura, I'm talking serious here. Tell me what happened! That's an order."

"I'm sorry, Kakashi-sens… I'm not allowed to talk about it, direct order from the kazekage."

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He raised a brow in annoyance.

"I promise Gaara will tell you what you need to know. Remember we're here on a secret mission. The council doesn't know about this all and never will."

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"Does he know?"

Shocked she averted her eyes.

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Her reaction was all he needed to know. He left her apartment slamming the door.

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Shit!

That's bad.

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Kakashi was angry, though he was in charge of the mission everyone seemed to only talk in riddles to him. Also it was a golden rule to never divulge a secret mission to a target. He thought he had taught her better.

For the rest of the day he was avoiding her and people in general. Again he had run the long way to the secret valley and spent the afternoon at the oasis, enjoying some peace alone to get his mind clear. Kakashi sat there in the shadows of a palm and was deeply lost in thoughts.

The jounin was well aware of the fact that he was afraid he had to deal with her and his emotional troubles. Returning with her back to Konoha would force him to do so, sooner or later. They would have to be alone for a few days during their journey.

And nights!

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What would happen with them? It was an obvious case of betrayal of confidence between Konoha and Suna.

Would there be war? Would the alliance break?

Would she have to come back to Suna? Would she stay in Konoha? Would she stay with him?

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He chuckled about his own thoughts. They reminded him of his longgone silly teenage-self.

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Could it be they were given a chance? Would they be together?

He broke a twig in half and threw it away.

Would she give him a chance? Would he be able to let her in?

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"Enough!" He snarled angrily as he stood up and dusted his clothes off.

Kakashi knew the answer already and it scared him, it scared him more than facing a forlorn, lethal battle.

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It was getting dark now and he decided to start back.

At the temple he stopped as he had always done when he was out there for a run. The silverhead entered the gates and sat down to meditate for a while.

That place had something magical and very calming.

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Obviously he had not even returned that night.

Sakura stood there in his bedroom looking for him. The young woman had tried hard to sleep alone, but her thoughts had kept her awake almost the whole time. It was dawn now and there was still no trace of him or his ninken. His bed was untouched, most of his belongings had already been packed and were lying on his table ready for their leave.

That impossible man! I knew he needed some time alone to let off some steam, but where the fuck is he?

This time we fucked up.

She shook her head and went back into her own room to start packing. It was too early to go downstairs for breakfast and to be honest she didn't want to be there alone with all the questioning eyes on her.

He didn't even sent Pakkun to me…

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Sakura caught her first glimpse of silver at the official halls in the ground-floor of the kazekage tower. It was a traditional styled room, paintings of former kazekages and heroic shinobi decorated the sandstone walls. They sat down at a huge table formation in the middle of the dining hall. Gaara took his seat on the top end with Temari and Sakura on the right and Kankuro and Kakashi on his left side, the other seats belonged to the council members and some important key personalities of the sand. It was a tense, very formal atmosphere, they all didn't talk much.

At least the meal is incredible.

Sakura's tastebuds would really miss the amazing culinary joys from here.

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The young leader of the village hold a speech after the second course, summarizing the last months containing the new med-school and the improved political alliance with Konoha.

He mentioned Kakashi's outstanding efforts as ambassador and referred especially to his altruistic appearance during their recent exchange mission. Sakura didn't know what had happened and was as captivated by the story as the council seemed to be. She couldn't hold back a smile. Of course the great copy-nin would do a brilliant performance, that was what he always did and what he was infamous and greatly feared for. It was what fascinated her the most. As they had first met him as a genin team, they had underestimated him and the skills he was capable of. They had been making fun of him and had not taken him seriously, not until their mission with Zabuza. She remembered how stunned she had been, how safe she had been feeling in his presence since then and how she had begun to admire him and she still did.

Then the kazekage spoke about Sakura's important work at the hospital, her help to establish a new med-school and to bring the medics up-to-date. The pinkette felt proud as the council members sent her approving nods.

Last but not least Gaara informed the council of their departure. They did not ask any questions and fortunately they didn't seem suspicious. Instead they declared how deeply Suna was in Konoha's debt and granted them the alliance between the villages.

Temari whispered to her that the council suspected them to announce an engagement.

A few council members looked disappointed, some relieved and two men were happy. They thought they would have a new chance to marry him off to one of their daughters. It was obvious Gaara and Sakura had a fling, but as he had told her, the council saw him more human now. Everything seemed alright.

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After dessert the society dispersed one after the other.

The blonde sister of the kazekage pulled at Sakura's hand "Great, so let's go!"

"Where?" The clueless pinkette raised a brow.

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Kankuro answered menancingly "Do you really thing you would escape that easily?"

Sakura was frozen, she couldn't imagine what he meant.

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"Farewell party. Club. Now." The puppet wielder laughed full-heartedly. The pinkette looked too flabbergasted.

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The sand siblings had planned a party in their favourite club far from formalities. Even Gaara showed up unbent in civilian clothes. Everyone Sakura knew in Suna was there, medics, students, the botanists she had gotten to know during her toxin studies and many more.

They had a good time, it was a night full of fun and celebrating friendships. Many drinks later she noticed that the distant and still irritated copy-nin had disappeared.

The kunoichi decided then she would need some fresh air, so she went outside to the back alley of the club where she had once been.

That was where she found him.

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Kakashi was standing there alone in the dark alley, seemingly he was deeply caught in his thoughts as his fingers traced the crack she had left in the wall on another occasion.

As he noticed her chakra he was ready to leave.

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"Why are you avoiding me?"

The jounin didn't respond, he didn't look at her. He was about to walk by and leave her standing there alone, but she grabbed his shoulder and spun him around.

She had caught him off guard, he sent her a warning look and shook her hands off.

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"Why are you running away?"

"I'm not running away."

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"Yes, you are! You're running away from me."

"Why don't you tell me the truth?"

She didn't respond. His mismatching eyes was fixated on hers, she began to fidget under his intense, invasive stare.

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After a few minutes of oppressive silence he walked along.

Before he could reach the main street she took grip of his wrist.

"Please don't go." Her whisper was only for him to hear.

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Kakashi hesitated, his whole body tensed up and he closed his eyes. Sakura was sure he would either snap or bolt, but she wouldn't let go of his wrist.

Again the great copy-nin didn't fail to surprise her as he took her hand gently into his eventually.

His eyes found interest in the cracks on the walls surrounding the alley. They had left them during their spar a while ago.

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Muted words reached her ears "What happened, Sakura? What does that all mean? What about Gaara? Why are we going back to Konoha?"

Their eyes met and after a while their distance became unbearable, they embraced each other.

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He murmured softly into her ear "I couldn't deal with the thought that I'd have to leave you back here in Suna. Here. Alone. With him."

She breathed in his incomparable, alluring scent and whispered "I was so afraid of losing you."

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The embrace loosened up and their eyes met again, both were searching for answers, for honesty and salvation.

They didn't notice how unintentionally their faces closed the distance until their lips found together first in a hesitant, innocent kiss during which their eyes met open. A brief moment was all that it took to assure them they were both sure what they were about to do. Slowly their eyes closed a their tongues found together in a real, passionate kiss.

Nothing compared to that kiss. It felt right, like they belonged together. Both couldn't fight it back any longer. Their emotions flew somewhere between devotion, liberation, flaming passion and animalistic lust. Every nerve of their bodies tingled as they couldn't get enough from each other.

For months they had been hiding their feelings. They had been in denial of being drawn together for too long. Like an erupting volcano, finally it burst all out.

He pressed her against the wall with the first crack she had made in the past, demanding hands hooked her knees from behind to lift her up. All too willingly she let him and wrapped her legs around him. Eagerly he supported her position with one hand on her bottom and the other on her head. His lips found that spot on her neck which drove her insane as he kissed and nibbled the tender skin there.

The two tipsy ninja took their time to make out. His flak-jacket was open, the front of her kimono was loose and her shoulders exposed. They were deeply engrossed in heated kisses, fisting each others mane, nibbling and biting the skin they could reach, touching and groping their craving bodies.

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Before they would lose their last remaining strings of control, he retreated his mouth gently and kissed her forehead.

"You should go back to them, Sakura." Their eyes met, strangely his mask was back in place.

Her answer was a disappointed look.

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With an excusing eye-crinkle he continued to whisper "It's getting late and it's neither the time nor the place we should continue that. We both had some drinks."

"Sure." Run away like you always do.

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Perceptive as ever, Kakashi noticed her look and knew exactly what she thought. "Sakura, I just need some time to sort a few things out. I won't run away." He gave the stunning beauty in his arms an innocent kiss and set her down carefully. "Go back inside and celebrate your last night with your Suna friends."

She still had her hands on his shoulders. "Why do you have to go?"

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His hands were still on her hips "I've had enough parties over the last months for probably the rest of my life."

They both chuckled shortly.

"And to be honest I feel a bit intoxicated and I'm very tired. I couldn't get much sleep lately."

"Okay." It was for the better.

The pinkette remembered her training when they had talked about how much depended on the right setting. She comprehended, it seemed he didn't want to rush things, especially not in the slightly tipsy state they were both in. They would probably regret it later. She had always been envying him for his reasonable and considered foresight in every situation.

He knew she would understand "We have a long way home ahead. I'm in charge of the mission and we need to be on alert when we cross countries. I prefer to bring us home both safe and sound." Their eyes reflected a silent affirmation.

She smiled at him contentedly "Goodnight, Kakashi." The eager kunoichi pulled him close to steal another kiss.

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As they started to get carried away again by the feeling of their tongues dancing an erotic tango together, he managed to whisper "Goodnight Sakura" against her partly closed lips.

They let go and he caressed her cheek. "We'll leave tomorrow in the late afternoon directly after our meeting with the kazekage, when the sun isn't that hot anymore." and with an eye-crinkle he went away.

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Yep, hot.

So hot…

I can't believe it! We finally kissed! Did this really happen?

Hell yeah!

His mask… How did he…?

Have you ever thought about the possibility that his mask is nothing but an ever present genjutsu or some kind of henge?

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Sakura didn't mind at the moment. She was too intoxicated from the rushing hormones and the few cocktails and shots she had drunk before, to be sure anyway. Their kisses were too good to be true just like in her sharingan experiences. She hoped that this time it was real.

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Gaara and his siblings didn't miss the huge smile on her face and the immense sparkle in her eyes as she returned to the party. He had never seen her that happy before and now he was sure they had made the right decision.

What Sakura and the others didn't know was that the village leader had a short talk with the silverhead in the secret valley the night before.

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Flashback:

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As Kakashi was sitting on the floor of the temple meditating, the strongest Suna ninja entered the temple to bring a small sacrifice to the Gods. He sat down in safe distance to the copy-nin to meditate.

The Konoha-nin knew how discreet the kazekage had used to be about his leisure, so he prepared to leave.

"Kazekage-sama, it wasn't my intention to disturb you. I should go now."

Said village leader indicated to him that he should stay and told him friendly "I was hoping to find you here." Gaara had sensed his presence here quite often lately.

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The silverhead sat down again to listen what he was about to say.

"I heard you saved the situation yesterday. Without your skills the exchange could have gone horribly wrong. Due to rumours it was a trap. Is it true?"

"Yes."

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Gaara sighed "That's sad. I had hope, the relations between Suna and rain would improve. Do you mind telling me what happened? My dear brother hasn't found the time to report yet."

"We were on alert and prepared as always. There had been many rogue nins hidden nearby the meeting point. The delegates of rain country turned out to be allies of the traitor. Luckily we sensed them early enough and brought their plan to nought. We brought them who survived to Suna prison."

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"Tell me, how did you know?" A curious look emphasized his words.

The copy-nin continued in his calm business tone "Our suspicion rose after we sensed the first rogue nin and we were sure there was something wrong. I used my sharingan to assess the situation and I figured out their plan. They wanted to attack us with a pincer movement. The ones who pretended to be delegates hoped to be trusted and when we would try to protect them from the rogue-nin they would attack us from the back. They wanted to take your brother hostage to press money."

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"I hope they got their lesson now. Are you sure these were not delegates of rain?"

"Absolutely. All their faces are in the bingo book. Rain country has nothing to do with them."

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The young leader of the sand gave him a pleased and impressed look, then he stood up and so did Kakashi "Well done, Hatake. I do not take such efforts for granted and I ensure you will get your bounty. We appreciate your help to steady the great alliance between our villages." Gaara extended his hand to him as a thankful gesture and to underline they were still allies.

They briefly shook hands and Kakashi gave him an appreciative nod. "Is there anything else I could do for you, Kazekage-sama?"

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Stern eyes bore into his charcoal orb for a moment like the redhead was searching for something then he stared through the open door into distance.

"Some things are not meant to be, while others are."

The silverhead looked clueless "What do you mean?"

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Cogitating turquoise eyes were watching the beautiful night sky for a while, then he turned and scrutinized the Konoha jounin momentarily. Gaara's look softened eventually and he answered in a sad tone:

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"I've set her free."

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Kakashi didn't known how to react.

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Was he serious?

Was it a test?

Had somebody seen them?

Did he know?

What would happen now?

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He couldn't be sure, but before he could react, Gaara had already reached the large doors of the temple.

The young kazekage stopped right in the middle of the open door and without turning he spoke over his shoulder:

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"Take good care of her."

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Then he was gone.

The great copy-nin suddenly forgot how to breathe.