Chapter 13

Tears still spilled from her eyes. His lips were upon hers. She couldn't believe it. Here was the moment she knew would come. She had to make her decision. If she kissed him back, it meant she left Sasuke in the past and let him go. She would turn her heart over to Gaara and would hope he wouldn't break it. Her heart was already fragile from the many times that Sasuke had hurt her.

She didn't want to stay in the past. There was no future in it. With Gaara, there would be a future. She knew she was overthinking again and her indecision was going to ruin the moment. She had to make up her mind fast.

Gaara noticed the hesitation and started to pull back from the kiss thinking that he had offended her. He had just confessed his feelings to her and hoped she felt the same way. Maybe he was rushing this? Maybe she still had feelings for Sasuke? His cheeks felt warm as he was blushing from the kiss and he looked at Sakura's surprised face. All he could see was shock. There was no anger in her eyes at all. He wondered what it meant.

She felt him pull back and knew her indecision was the reason why. Sakura didn't want him to think she rejected his kiss or his confession. So she grabbed his shirt into her fists and pulled him back to herself and she kissed him back. It was a slow kiss. One meant to offer her heart and soul to him. It was a promise of - I trust you, I want to be with you - always. She hoped he got the message when she ended the kiss.

When the returned kiss ended, he looked into her eyes and with his fingers, Gaara traced the outline of her eyes and drifted his fingers to caress her cheeks. He gave her a tender look and a soft smile.

"I think it's time to return back to the mansion," he said. He really didn't want the night to end, but she needed to sleep just as much as he did. They both had shared a long day full of old memories along with making new ones. "If you're ready to go, we can leave anytime," Gaara said.

"How?" Sakura questioned. "It took us most of the day to get here."

"I'll be right back," Gaara said as he disappeared momentarily behind a couple of dunes. After walking a couple of yards away he reappeared with his gourd on his back.

Sakura's eyes showed her understanding. "You're just full of surprises aren't you, Gaara?" She remarked while grinning at him.

"Well, you know a good leader should be ready for anything."

After they packed up everything, Gaara motioned for his sand to wrap around both of them and he transported them back to the mansion. They left the basket and the blanket in the kitchen and walked up the stairs together. They stood in front of the doors to their rooms and said good night to each other.

XXX

The next morning, Temari received a summons from the council. She knew they were still not pleased with the outcome of the trials. She wondered what new move they were contemplating now.

After the meeting, Temari walked out of the council chamber doors with her hands balled into fists and was grinding her teeth. The council had been after her to start Sakura on her Kazehime duties, namely that of marriage and producing an heir.

The pressure they were putting on her and her brother was outrageous. Gaara and Sakura were just starting to get to know each other. It was too soon for them to think of marriage, which brought her to the subject of how to tell Sakura that she was to move to Suna and marry Gaara. It was expected of the Kazehime. How would she react when she was told this news?

Temari thought to herself on how perfect Sakura was for Suna. She already had that hardness about her. The fact that she wouldn't give up on her friends. Her quick temper and quick thinking almost bespoke itself that she should have been from Suna. Temari had seen the scroll on Gaara's desk. She had read it and it had opened her eyes as to why her brother was pursuing Sakura.

Sakura was a jewel. Konoha had many jewels, Temari thought. Why couldn't Suna have this particular one? They wouldn't try to hide it in the desert sands. No, they would polish it and make it shine even brighter.

Temari had worked so hard to bring her brother and Sakura together. She wasn't going to let the council ruin the slowly developing relationship between the two. If it meant that Sakura would hate her for the rest of her life, so be it. Now was the time she needed to talk to Gaara and lay her plans out to tell Sakura the whole truth about the expectations of the Kazehime.

Temari walked towards Gaara's office. She entered, not caring if he was busy or not. She cleared her throat to let him know of her presence. Gaara looked up from the scroll he was reading and asked what she needed.

"We need to talk about Sakura and her duties as the Kazehime," she informed her brother. "I just came from a meeting with the council. They are requesting that Sakura start her duties immediately. That includes her marriage to you and the producing of an heir."

"I don't care what the council is requesting in regards to marriage and an heir," Gaara bluntly said. "I am not going to rush Sakura into marriage just because the council says so. She is not ready; I'm not ready for that step," he admitted with a tinge of a blush on his cheek.

"We still need to inform Sakura of what her duties will be," Temari continued to inform him. "I think you should let me be the one to inform her. She is already upset with me for the way she was thrown into the Trials. Let me do this for you, Gaara," she implored.

She looked down at the floor thinking of how to say her next words. "I don't want to see your relationship with her hurt, because of my actions. I don't know what type of reaction she will have when she is told that she will have to move to Suna and marry you. If she gets angry, I would rather her take it out on me and not you."

Gaara looked at his sister with a thoughtful expression. It was true that his relationship with Sakura was just in the beginning stages. He fathomed that being told that you would have to leave your home, friends and things that you hold dear, because of a title that was given to you - all without asking for it, could leave a person distraught. She could come to resent him for it. Temari was willing to take the fall and let Sakura hate her for what she had done and for a future that was being thrust upon her.

He gave a heavy sigh as he thought about Sakura's reaction to the news. He had to prepare himself for her anger and frustrations. Sakura was going to overthink this and he would probably be the one who would need to calm her fears.

"Temari. If that is what you want to do, then so be it. I will not stop you, but be warned that she may not listen to everything you have to say," Garra cautioned his sister. "I think it would be best if we slowly integrate her into her new position. Not everything has to be rushed. I'll take care of the council. I won't let them bully you or Sakura."

Temari took confidence in her brother's words. "Thanks, Gaara. I appreciate that. I don't want to lose Sakura's friendship, but if it means that you two can have a happy start, I'll sacrifice it. I want the best for you both," she said with a smile in her eyes.

"I plan to have a spar with Sakura and then I'll inform her of what is expected of her as the Kazehime. Hopefully, the spar will tire her out and she won't put up too much of a fight when I inform her," Temari said with a hopeful voice.

"Good luck, Temari," Gaara said dubiously.

Temari took her leave and went looking for Sakura.

An hour later, Temari found Sakura in the hospital instructing a nurse on a case where someone had been poisoned. Temari waited until Sakura was finished talking to the nurse and then walked over to her.

"Hey, Sakura. Are you free?" Temari requested.

"Yes. I just finished here. I'm free for the rest of the day. Did you need something?" Sakura answered..

"I was hoping we could have a spar. I remember that at the end of the Trials, you mentioned that you wanted one with me. So do you want to spar?"

Sakura cracked her knuckles and a wicked grin came over her face. "Of course, I'll spar with you. Thanks for reminding me," she chuckled.

Temari just uttered a nervous gulp when she saw Sakura's grin, but then remembered that she was a wind mistress and started to feel a little courage run up her spine. "Let's go then."

Temari and Sakura made their way out to the training grounds that Suna kept separate from the village. When they arrived to the area, they decided that they would fight until first blood was drawn and that Sakura was not to use her seal. They separated from each other and thought about what their first moves would be.

Temari carried her giant fan on her back. She took it off and planted it in the ground in front of her. Sakura, facing Temari, knew her biggest challenge would be getting past the large fan. She remembered the first time she had seen Temari use it and how destructive it could be. She pulled chakra into her feet to help keep her steady on the sand.

Temari rubbed her hands together and prepared for Sakura's attack. Sakura grabbed some shuriken out of her hip pouch and threw them at Temari. Using the chakra in her feet, she then ran as fast as she could and jumped, holding her right fist forward as if to attack. But, as she was flying toward the blonde, she feinted to the right and made to grab for the fan. Temari caught on to what Sakura was intending to do and grabbed the fan out of the ground before the pink-haired girl could get to it.

Temari opened the fan to one moon and used her dust wind technique to temporarily blind the pinkette. Sakura fell back and tried to rub the sand out of her eyes. She blinked her eyes a couple of times allowing them to tear up and wash the grains of sand away. Once she could see again, she looked at her opponent with a glare. Temari just smirked at her.

Knowing there was no water around her, Sakura wouldn't be able to use any water techniques. She had to think this battle through and be smart about it. The further Temari opened her fan, the worse the battle would get. She knew she had her strength and her chakra control.

Shikamaru had bested Temari during the chunin exams by distracting her. Sakura thought to herself that if could distract Temari enough, maybe she could create a big enough crater under the fan that it would fall through and would be out of reach. Then, she could battle Temari using Taijutsu. It sounded fool proof, so Sakura geared herself to put it into action.

Sakura ran in the opposite direction of Temari. When she got far enough, she threw a fuma shuriken at the blonde. Once again, she ran forward and jumped in the air. Yelling Shannaro, she extended her right fist and hit the ground hard with it. A crack appeared in the ground and started heading toward Temari.

Temari felt the ground shake and almost fell to her knees. She kept herself steady and knew Sakura was aiming for the fan. She wasn't about to give up her biggest weapon just yet. She picked it up, closed it and batted the fuma shuriken away from herself. She then utilized her sickle weasel technique on the pinkette.

Sakura felt the wind change around her and she dodged Temari's attack. She ran to the left and figured a head-on collision of her fist with the fan might be the best course of action. Temari was still holding the fan when Sakura came at her. She tried to defend herself from Sakura's hit with the fan, but the energy behind the hit was too much and it forced her to let go of the fan. The fan flew away from Temari and landed a few feet away.

Sakura chased after the fan. She picked it up from where it landed and then with her chakra strength, she smashed it hard into the ground in an upright position. She smirked knowing that it would take a great deal of strength to get it back out of the ground. Now that that weapon was rendered useless, she could concentrate on beating Temari with taijutsu.

Temari watched as Sakura forced her fan into the ground and the blonde groaned as she realized that her primary weapon was no longer an asset. However, she figured Sakura would now want to spar with taijutsu, so she prepared for the next attack.

Sakura ran at the blonde and when she came near to the girl, she slide-tackled her, knocking the blonde to the ground. Sakura jumped up and was going to pounce on Temari when she noticed the blonde was gone and in her place was a smaller-sized fan. "A substitution jutsu," the pinkette groaned to herself. She hated when Kakashi used those type of jutsus and now she had a new reminder of that bout.

Sakura was just about to turn around when Temari flung herself at the pinkette and pushed her to the ground. Temari pulled a kunai and aimed it at Sakura's throat, but the pinkette poured chakra into her arms and threw Temari off of her.

Both girls were panting heavily at this point. Sweat was pouring off of their faces and into the ground. "Are you…(pant)...ready to…(pant)...call this yet?" Temari asked Sakura with a smirk. "If you hadn't have used your superhuman strength, I would have won this," the blonde smirked at the pinkette.

Sakura stood up and looked at the girl across from her. "Yeah, Yeah. Whatever. I was still able to get your fan away from you," she jokingly said.

Let's call it for now and save some for the next time we spar," Temari called out.

Sakura nodded her head. She walked over to where they had left their canteens and she started to drink from hers. Temari did the same. They both decided to sit on the ground and let themselves cool down from their spar.

Temari set down her canteen and squared her shoulders. It was time for the dreaded talk. She turned to Sakura and said, "Sakura we need to talk about what is expected of you as the Kazehime."

Sakura could tell that Temari was being serious by the tone in her voice. She had wondered when this conversation would take place. She had many questions, but felt she should hear Temari out first. "Ok, Temari. Go ahead. I'm listening."

"First off, the Kazehime position is very important to Suna. You'll be representing Suna in official political meetings. The Kazehime answers to the council and to the Kazekage. There will be meetings that you will be expected to attend and host. Secondly, because of your medical prowess, you may be given a seat on council and may be allowed to have influence over the medical community here in Suna."

Sakura listened intently. Everything so far sounded like what would be expected of a Kazehime.

Temari continued, "Your etiquette will be drastically watched. You will need to reign in your temper when around other political members. I'm sure you know some of this from watching Tsunade, as she is the Hokage. You probably even attended some of her meetings with her own council."

So far, so good, Temari thought to herself. This next part was going to be the hardest to tell Sakura.

"The last thing I have to tell you Sakura is the biggest expectation of the Kazehime. The Kazehime is expected to marry the Kazekage and produce an heir." Temari started to cringe, waiting for Sakura to start yelling and throwing punches, but all she heard was silence.

Sakura didn't know what to say. She was expected to marry Gaara and then have children. She should have known this was coming. How stupid could she be to not think that the Kazehime would have to marry the Kazekage. It only made sense. But, this also meant that she would have to leave Konoha and move to Suna. She would be leaving her friends and family behind. She started to panic. She gulped and tried to steady herself before asking Temari, "You mean, I have to move to Suna? I'll have to marry Gaara? Have children? Why didn't you tell me this before I came here? You only asked for me to come and be a medic." Sakura was starting to get angry. How could Temari have done this to her. Did Gaara know all about this. Why didn't he say something?

"I know it sounds terrible right now, Sakura, but this could be a good thing," Temari tried telling the Konoha kunoichi.

"A good thing! How could this be a good thing?" Sakura half yelled half asked Temari.

"Well, you will get to spend more time with Gaara and you could help to improve the medical facility here in Suna," Temari started to explain.

"WHAT!" Sakura exclaimed. "How can you say such a thing, Temari? You're telling me I have to leave my friends and family behind, so I can further my relationship with Gaara and Suna gets all the kudos for my medical brilliance," Sakura scoffed at her. "I don't think I can talk about this with you right now. I am so angry, Temari. I don't want to be around you right now."

Temari tried to reach out to Sakura and stop her from leaving. They needed to talk this through. But just as she reached for the pinkette, she was gone. Temari could only sigh. She would need to find Gaara and ask him to help Sakura understand that not everything was going to be rushed. They were going to take their time with her role as Kazehime.

After Sakura had left Temari, she ended up at the Kazekage building. She stormed into the building and up the stairs to Gaara's office. Throwing open the doors to his office, she marched in and snarled at Gaara, "You knew and yet you said nothing."

Gaara, shocked by Sakura's entrance to his office, slowly put down the scroll he was reading and looked up at her. He could see panic and anger on her face. "Knew what?" he cautiously asked.

Sakura stomped over to his desk and landed her hands on the edge of it. She looked him directly in the eyes and told him, "you knew that I would have to marry you as the Kazehime and yet you said nothing about it to me."

"Yes. That is expected of the Kazehime, but marriage is not something that will be rushed into lightly," Gaara explained. If I lose Sakura over this nonsense with the Trials, I am going to crush my council members with my sand, he thought to himself.

Gaara got up from behind his desk and walked over to Sakura. He pulled her arms away from his desk and lowered them to her side. He then grabbed her shoulders and looked into her eyes. He needed her attention on him and he needed to quell her panic. "Sakura, I need for you to trust me right now. Can you do that for me? I'll explain everything as soon as we get to the Council chamber."

Sakura was in a daze. He just said we don't have to rush into marriage. He was asking for her to trust him. All she could do was nod her head.

He took the nod as her answer. Gaara went back to his desk and picked up a scroll that he had put in a drawer for safe keeping. He returned to Sakura's side and motioned for his sand to wrap around the two of them and then he transported them to the Council chamber.

When the sand dissipated, he saw that Temari was there as well. Good, he thought. She will get to hear the whole truth as would his council.

Temari had decided to go see the council before she saw Gaara. She was hoping she would be able to talk the council into backing off of Sakura and Gaara's relationship; to let them progress the relationship at a normal rate and not rush it. She was a little surprised when Gaara and Sakura both showed up unexpectedly.

Gaara looked around the room and gave everyone his harshest glare. He threw the scroll he had been holding onto the table. Due to how hard the scroll had been thrown, it opened and unfurled for everyone to see its contents. A family tree could be seen on the parchment.

After tossing the scroll, Gaara turned back to the pinkette. He grabbed her cheeks and forced her to look at him. Gaara didn't care who was in the room. He didn't care that they were going to hear what he was about to tell the girl that he loved. He wanted it to be heard. He wanted the council to hear every word he was going to say. He had made his choice and he was not going back on it.

"I love you," Gaara confessed as he gently grasped Sakura's cheeks.

It was those three words that broke through to her panic, her anger, and her fears. She blinked a couple of times at him and settled her eyes on his to let him know that she was listening.

"Everything is going to be ok. There is no need to worry," Gaara told her. "If I had had my way, you never would have been thrown into the trials. I was never told that you were a participant. I was never told any of the names of any kunoichi who participated in the trials." As he said this, he swept an angry glare at the other people in the room.

Gaara let go of Sakura's cheeks and then embraced her to his chest. He slowly let go of her and looked back into her eyes. "I made several trips to Konoha to meet with Tsunade. Before the council brought up the idea of the trials, I was working on a plan with her to court you. I had also requested her to research your family background. I was hoping to find something that would appease the council, so that when the time was right, I could ask you to be my wife without their interference. Tsunade's research found that your paternal ancestors came from Suna. That was enough reason for me to continue pursuing you, but then the council ordered the Kazehime Trials to take place and I had to put my plans on hold. The night of our dinner in Konoha, I thought would be out last time together."

Sakura was surprised that Gaara had been working with Tsunade - trying to find a way to court her. How long has he been in love with me? She was trying to fight her panic, but everything was so overwhelming. As she stood before the Suna council, she felt like she was being backed into a corner. She wasn't ready for marriage. Last night was the first time she had made a decision to move on. Was she ready to leave Konoha? Again, the panic in her seemed to get stronger.

Gaara could see the fear and panic in her face. "Sakura, what are you scared of?" he asked her.

Sakura looked down at her hands. "I'm not sure if I'm ready for all of this," she answered.

Gaara walked up to Sakura and hugged her just like she had hugged him in the old playground. He could tell that she was becoming overwhelmed and decided that she needed to be taken away from the council. He motioned for his sand to wrap around them both and he whisked them away.

Temari was saddened by the look of despair on her brother's face. Sakura was not taking this news well. She felt regret for tossing Sakura into the Trials. Had she known what her brother had been planning, she never would have included the pinkette in her plans. She turned back to the table and picked up the unfurled scroll. She looked at it and saw the name Haruno and under it a family tree. She found Sakura's name and traced it up the tree to where it listed unrecognizable names stating they were from Suna. She couldn't recall any Harunos living in Suna and wondered where they really came from.

After looking at the scroll again, she decided to leave it for the council to look over and return to her room in the mansion. She needed to think of a way to apologize to both her brother and Sakura for trying to ruin their relationship.

XXX

Gaara had transported Sakura and himself in a whirlwind of sand back to his room in the mansion. The room was dark and sparse. A bed, nightstand and dresser could be seen along with cushions in the corner on the floor. Gaara moved over to the cushions and sat down on them. He motioned for Sakura to join him. When she came close, he pulled her down gently and into his lap with her back facing his chest. Once she was comfortable, he placed his head in the crook of her neck and wrapped his arms around her.

"Its ok, Sakura. You don't have to make any decisions right now. Lets just sit here quietly for the next few minutes," he whispered to her.

Sakura just nodded her head while she ran her fingers over his hands. She needed to calm herself down and get rid of her panic. The pinkette would talk to Gaara about their situation when she was ready and not before. She knew she was overthinking everything. Gaara wasn't the type of person to rush into anything. He was usually cautious when making his decisions.

Gaara could feel her breathing slow down and it seemed as if her panic was slowly ebbing away. He closed his eyes and continued to silently hold her. He had never thought that after their shared kiss that he would be holding her so intimately. He was hoping that she felt comforted and protected while he held her. There was no need to rush their relationship. If she wanted to go home to Konoha, he would let her, but he did hope that she would be willing to return to Suna and stay with him. If she decided to not return and be with him, then he would stay single for the rest of his days. He couldn't see himself with anyone else. As he thought this, he hugged her a little bit tighter.

Sakura felt him squeeze her tighter. She knew she was hurting him by not making a decision. By allowing her fear and panic to overwhelm her, she was breaking both of their hearts. She needed for them to talk to each other.

"Gaara, I think we need to talk about this," she started.

Gaara lifted his head from her shoulder and allowed her to turn herself so they were facing each other.

"First, thanks for bringing me here and allowing me to get my panic under control. Thanks for not forcing me into making any decisions right away," she continued.

"Sakura, I want you to know that I care about you deeply and I know that we are both still learning about each other. I would never try to rush our relationship into marriage. I want you to be happy with whatever decision you make," Gaara explained to her.

Sakura ran her hand down the side of Gaara's cheek and looked into his green eyes. "I appreciate that, Gaara. I care for you as well. I want to continue this relationship with you, but I think I need to go home to Konoha for awhile. I need some time to think about the idea of being Kazehime and I want to get some advice from Tsunade-shishou about all of this."

She put both of her hands in her lap and looked down at them. She didn't want to see the hurt in his eyes.

"Will you come back?" he whispered.

She tried to hold the tears from spilling over. Haven't I cried enough, she thought to herself. She reached out to him and hugged herself to him. "Of course, I'll come back to you, Gaara. I just need to talk to a few people about my decision to make sure I am making the right one. This is all still new to me. I've never been in a real relationship before. I thought I could have had one with Sasuke, but he would have never loved be back. Not in the same way you do. I am trusting you with my heart - just as you are trusting me with yours."

Gaara returned the hug and then he pulled away from her. They both stood up and before she left his room, he pulled her to himself and gave her a parting kiss.

Author Notes:

Thanks everyone for the review, follows and favorites.

I got stuck with this chapter. Everything was going great until Temari had her talk with Sakura. Sakura's character was giving me some difficulties, but with some input and arguing with my husband we found a way to finish this chapter. I know I said this would be the last chapter, but Sakura was giving me a fight and I have decided to write another chapter.

I really didn't spend enough time exploring Sakura's emotions during this whole story because I was unsure of how to write them. I'm just now getting to know her emotions and I am still struggling with how to write her emotions. I have discussed this chapter with my husband and he has offered some great input and some direction on where to take this story.

I hope you enjoy this chapter. I am thinking about doing a prequel to this story. The prequel would deal with Sakura's father's family. It would explain how Kizashi's family left Suna and came to Konoha. It would also explain how Kizashi and Mebuki met and got married. I have seen other fanfiction written for both Naruto and Sasuke's parents, but nothing for Sakura's. I understand there is not much information about them, so I figure I can get away with practically anything I write about them, but with the level of respect that they deserve.

It will be a while before I start the prequel. There is still a lot of research I have to do and there will be quite a few outside characters in the story. I do have a Kabuto/Sakura/Sasuke story in the works and may start posting that later in the year.

It has been fun and challenging writing this story.