Gaara woke with his head pounding and his mouth tasting like he'd eaten vomit for dinner. His stomach roiled and he opened his eyes to find himself still nestled between Sakura's folded legs. They were in his bed still, and it was still dark outside. He could hear Sakura's soft snoring and her fingers still lodged in his hair.

Feeling very close to throwing up, he extricated himself from her grasp as carefully as he could and rushed to the bathroom. After purging the previous night's food and alcohol from his system and brushing his teeth, he made his way back to bed.

Sakura was sitting upright against his headboard, her head lolled to one side. He found it extraordinarily charming that she had stayed the night with him in spite of the fact that she was obviously quite angry with him. She may not have fixed his headache or quelled his nausea, but she hadn't left his side all night.

He slipped into the bed beside her and gently pulled her against his side, adjusting her head so that her neck wouldn't hurt when she woke up. She instantly melted against his side and he felt himself relaxing. His head was still pounding, but he didn't feel so nauseous anymore.

He contemplated going to the infirmary to have them soothe his headache, but Sakura wouldn't be too pleased with him, and perhaps she was right. Maybe he deserved to feel this pain. After all, he'd brought it on himself and he'd treated Sakura unfairly.

Instead, he leaned back and closed his eyes, fighting against the swirling, rocking sensation in his head.

He immediately opened them again because he felt like he would float away with them closed. He shifted uncomfortably and stifled a groan. He could already feel his nausea returning and he vowed then and there to never, ever drink again. He felt Sakura stirring beside him and the motion made his stomach churn.

Another groan escaped him, though he tried to stay quiet for Sakura's benefit. He should probably wake her and send her off to her own bed. It was humiliating to be in this condition, but he selfishly wanted to keep her in bed with him.

Staring up at the ceiling, he did his best to ignore the ache in his head and the swirling in his stomach, but he could tell that sleep wasn't going to come to him now.

He had all but given up when he felt deliciously soothing chakra filter into his head. His headache melted away instantly.

"Sakura?"

She remained still and quiet. If he hadn't already been familiar with the feeling of her healing chakra, he might have assumed that it was some miracle that cured his headache and that Sakura was still asleep. A moment later his nausea was gone, too, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you," he said and kissed the top of her head. She didn't respond or acknowledge him at all. For a second he believed that she might have healed him in her sleep, but he brushed that ridiculous thought away.

He closed his eyes and tightened his hold on her. This time, sleep came much easier.

/

"You must be pleased with her progress."

Gaara looked down at his sister, who sat with her feet dangling off the edge of the guard tower. She was looking down at the dunes below where Sarabi and Shikamaru were sparring.

"She's shown remarkable growth, but I don't think I can take credit for that," Gaara admitted. "It must have something to do with the monoliths and the beast."

Temari peered up at him, squinting and shielding her eyes with a flat hand. "Do you think so?" she asked. "Her powers must have manifested a while ago, back when she first came to the surface. Why do you think she's improving so much now?"

Below them, Shikamaru's howl drew their attention to the dunes. Sarabi had used a burst of sand to launch him up into the air. He scrambled for balance or something to grab onto before hitting the sand with a loud grunt. Temari tittered and Gaara found her smile infectious.

"I think being in back in the desert has invigorated her," Gaara said. "She belongs here. She's thriving here."

Temari nodded in agreement, but kept her gaze focused on Shikamaru and Sarabi.

"I know you may not approve of this, so I'm going to come right out and tell you so you don't get angry with me for it later," Gaara began. Temari's gaze snapped sharply up to meet his. "I'm going to take Sarabi into the desert tonight and hunt down the beast."

"You really think that's wise?" she asked dryly.

"It's younger than the one we fought before," Gaara countered. "We know enough about it to be able to defend ourselves properly. I believe Sarabi may be connected to it in some way, and I'd like to find out details."

"Are you going to kill it?"

"If necessary," he answered. "I'm also interested in seeing how Sarabi handles real danger. I'd like to see her instincts in actions."

"She's not had enough training," Temari argued. "She could get hurt."

"I'll be there to protect her."

"Take Kankuro or Hideki with you," Temari implored, "just to be safe."

Gaara frowned. He'd rather not put anyone else at risk. More people with him only meant more people to protect. But it was easy to understand why Temari didn't want them going out there alone, so he acquiesced for her sake.

"Fine," he said. "I'll wear a radio so you can keep in constant communication with us in case something happens."

Temari shook her head. "I can't. I have plans with Shikamaru tonight," she said.

Gaara's frown deepened. "What plans?" he demanded.

He was horrified to see her face turn red under his scrutiny.

"Personal plans," she snapped, angling her body away from his so he could no longer see her face. They both looked back down to Shikamaru and Sarabi, who were now sparring with fists. Shikamaru definitely had the upper hand there, but it was amusing nonetheless to watch him lazily swing at her.

Feeling a little annoyed, Gaara sat down beside Temari and let his legs dangle beside hers. He gripped the metal railing with white knuckles and glanced in her direction.

"Temari?"

"What?" she snapped, obviously still annoyed by his prying.

He hesitated for a moment, not sure he wanted to strike up this particular conversation with her if she was in a bad mood.

"How did you deal with living so far apart from Shikamaru these past couple of years?" he asked, his voice filled with uncertainty. He hated that there was no way to hide it, at least not from Temari.

Temari whirled her head around to look at him, her brow furrowed. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Gaara would have rolled his eyes if it hadn't been abundantly clear that she was genuinely confused by his question.

"The distance," he said. "Wasn't it hard not being able to see him whenever you wanted? How did you manage to continue your relationship while you were living in two different countries?"

"Well, yeah, it was hard," she said, her eyes narrowed and concerned now. "It really, really sucked. At first it wasn't so bad, but it only got harder as we got… closer. When Shikamaru asked me to marry him I realized that I'd have to choose between living here and being with him. It would have been impossible to have both, even though that's what I really wanted."

"But you wanted to be with him more," he said with a deep frown.

Temari shook her head. "I don't know if that's true," she said, resting her chin on a section of the rail. "I just know that I'm a better person when I'm with him, and I always want to be the best person I can be."

Gaara sighed. Those hadn't been the words he expected, and they made him feel more confused.

"Is this about Sakura?"

Gaara scoffed, but it wasn't that surprising that Temari would be able to see that. There wasn't much he could hide from her.

"I knew there was something going on with you two, but I didn't realize it was this serious," Temari mused.

"We're not—" Gaara sighed and rubbed angrily at his temples. "We're not together. We're just…"

Temari leaned away from the railing and gave him a disapproving look. "Maybe you should be having this conversation with Sakura," she said dryly. "You're obvious not on the same page. You aren't on any page at all."

Gaara blinked. Of course it made sense for him to discuss all this with Sakura, but he couldn't help but be afraid of her potential rejection. Even if they could come to an agreement on defining their relationship, would she want to move to Suna to be with him eventually? Did he make her a better person the way Shikamaru did Temari?

"You have too much on your plate, Gaara," Temari said, rising up to her feet. "All the Sasuke business, Sarabi and the beast, and now your love life. Maybe you should try to prioritize instead of taking things as they come to you."

Gaara scowled at her, but truthfully he appreciated her advice. She was right – he was letting things get to him, as evidenced by the previous night's drunkenness. He was grateful that she hadn't brought that up, at least.

"Okay," he said, standing up beside her. "As always, you've given me helpful advice. If you need me, I'll be in my office."

/

Gaara sat at his desk, his chin resting on his hand. He was slumped forward, still not feeling so great after spending most of the night hung over. He had just finished writing a letter to Tsunade regarding the whole Sasuke fiasco. He was certain that things weren't exactly finished there and he wanted the Hokage to be up to speed on everything that had happened so far.

That was at least one thing he could check off his to-do list.

His next order of business was to handle the beast and Sarabi situation, but nothing could really be done about that until tonight. He was hoping their excursion would shed some light on some of the more elusive details of Sarabi's powers, but for now there wasn't much he could do.

He considered maybe speaking to Taiyo again, but he wasn't sure he'd get the answers he wanted, or even the truth. Taiyo was fairly unreliable when it came to that kind of information, as trustworthy as he was in other areas.

Unfortunately, that only left the Sakura problem to tackle. He almost wished they had left all that paperwork for him to do now so he would have something to distract him.

A gentle knock on his door saved him from having to find something productive to do.

"Come in."

His door opened and a head of pink haired popped in. The sight of her sent butterflies whirling in his stomach, but they translated as nausea.

"Gaara-sama," she said, only one foot in the door. "Naruto and I were about to get some dinner. Do you want to join us?"

He almost said no, but his growling stomach outed him.

"I'd love to," he said, though he'd really rather not, "but first, let me talk to you for a minute."

He beckoned her inside. She looked skeptical as she clicked the door shut behind her and it made Gaara feel all the more nervous.

"Is everything okay, Gaara-sama?"

"Just Gaara, please."

Sakura pursed her lips, which was achingly charming and a little annoying.

"I've been unfair to you, Sakura," he began, still feeling unsure of himself. He was hoping he would be rewarded for his honesty here. "It's not your fault. I'm just feeling frustrated with our situation."

"You're going to miss me," she said. She seemed a lot more sure of herself than he did.

"Yes," he agreed. "There's no way around that. You'll go back to Konoha and take the better part of me with you. I can't hold that against you. It's really my own fault."

Sakura's cheeks reddened, but she was sort of half smiling in a way that sent his heart thumping against his ribcage. "The better part of you, huh?" she asked.

"I know it's not a fair thing for me to ask of you, but I know I'd regret it if I didn't at least try," he began, deciding to be as direct as possible to avoid any potential confusion. "I want you to be my girlfriend."

Silence stretched between them, painful and harsh. Gaara held his breath, afraid any oxygen he sucked into his lungs would sound too ragged or make him feel sick.

"But I live in Konoha."

"I know," he said, feeling like he was going to throw up any second. "I'm not asking you to move here. At least not right now."

"Oh."

Her brow was furrowed and there was definite sadness behind her eyes, which made Gaara feel tense and worried because there should not be sadness on her, ever, but especially not right now. But then her expression softened, still sad but now with a smile. She looked on the brink of tears, which was not a good sign, but there was something devastatingly gorgeous about her gaze.

"You really want me to be your girlfriend?"

He opened his mouth to affirm that, yes, of course he wanted that, even if it was ridiculously hard to be so far away from her. It didn't matter, he just wanted her in whatever way she allowed, but before he could speak his office door burst open and Naruto barged inside.

"Come on, guys, what's the hold up? I'm getting real hungry over here," he said, his blue eyes flickering between the two of them with impatience.

It might have been the first time Gaara was ever displeased to see Naruto.

/

Gaara was a tense bundle of nerves as they made their way down to the market and found a little teahouse for dinner. He was itching to hear Sakura's answer and annoyed by how she seemed to be relishing in his anticipation. He wanted to assume that her smiles and laughter and general good mood were in part because she had a good answer for him, but he was afraid that such thinking would only lead to disappointment.

The three of them were immediately shown to a private booth in the back of the teahouse – a nice perk of being the Kazekage. Gaara sat down beside Naruto, afraid of the temptation to touch Sakura should he have sat down beside her instead.

"Tell us what's good here, Gaara-sama," Sakura said, flipping over her menu. She had a churlish smirk on his face and if he didn't find her so adorable he would have reached across the table to smack her.

"Just Gaara, please," he said softly.

"Do they have ramen here?" Naruto asked, running his finger down his menu, his head low to the table.

"I'd recommend the umeboshi," Gaara said, his eyes flicking up to Sakura's. He knew that was her favorite, but it was still a genuine recommendation.

"Ooh, that sounds good, Kazekage-sama," she said, grinning at him from over her menu.

"I don't see ramen anywhere on the menu."

"Maybe you should branch out, Naruto," Sakura suggested. "Try something new for a change."

"Eh, I'm fine with ramen," Naruto insisted, still scouring his menu for an acceptable option. "Ramen never lets me down."

Gaara caught Sakura's eye, trying to pretend for a second that Naruto wasn't there. If he were alone with her, would he have the courage to reach out and take her hand? It seemed absurd that he'd had sex with her just a few nights ago but now just the sight of her sent him into an anxious frenzy.

Sakura looked away from him demurely and caught her lower lip between her teeth. He could see immediately that it was a ruse rather than genuine shyness, but somehow that made it all the more appealing.

She was toying with him, which he didn't think was really fair. He had laid his heart out for her and she was teasing him like it was all a big joke. He glanced over at Naruto, who was humming as he continued to scan the menu.

"Sakura, have you had a chance to consider my proposal from earlier?" he asked, trying to keep his expression neutral.

"Oh, is that what that was?" she asked with an impertinent giggle. "A proposal?"

Gaara willed himself not to blush, which was easier said than done because he could already feel his ears burning. Luckily Naruto seemed to be deeply absorbed in the menu, muttering under his breath about the lack of ramen.

"If I answer now, will you buy my dinner?" she asked, her smile infectious and irritating and perfect.

Gaara couldn't help but smile back as he nodded. "If you answer yes, I'll buy all your dinners for the rest of your life."

"Hmm, well that changes things," she said, tapping her finger against her chin thoughtfully. "If that's the case, then I guess I must say yes."

"Yes?" he asked, the word catching uncomfortably in his throat.

"Yes, what?" Naruto asked, looking up from his menu. "I wasn't paying attention. What are you guys talking about?"

"Gaara was just saying that he's buying dinner for us tonight," Sakura said, her hair tumbling around her shoulders as she turned to smile at Naruto. "So get as much as you want."

Naruto's eyes lit up and he smiled at Gaara in a way that made him wonder how Sasuke could be so moody all the time when he had these two goofballs beside him. It made him feel an unexpected stab of jealousy and a little anger at Sasuke for not appreciating what he'd been so blessed to have.

"Thanks, Gaara!" Naruto said. "Next time you're in Konoha, I'll buy you more ramen than you can eat!"

Gaara looked to Sakura to find her eyes dancing with amusement. He really wished he was alone with her so he could just clarify that she did, in fact, want to be his girlfriend, that her answer was real. It was agonizing not to know for sure, but the feeling was mitigated at least a little bit by her infectiously bright mood.

In spite of his anticipation and curiosity, he had a good time over the course of dinner. Sakura and Naruto regaled him with tales of their adventures in Konoha. He supplied a few of his own, laughing at their jokes. Naruto didn't get his ramen, but he seemed content with the other four dishes he ordered instead, and even happier to pass the bill over to Gaara when the time came.

After he had paid and the trio had made their way back out to the streets, Naruto mercifully dipped out, stating that Kankuro was going to show him how his puppets worked, and maybe they'd have a spar afterwards.

Gaara made a mental note to thank Kankuro for that later.

"So," Sakura said, drawing out the syllable as she sidled up next to him. "We're alone again."

They began to walk back toward the palace, their pace leisurely. It was almost dark now, and the village glowed in the evening sun. He could feel Sakura's heat against the side of his body. It made him feel far too hot in the waning sun. He wasn't used to people standing so close to him, but he didn't mind it.

"Not for long, I'm afraid," he said with regret. "I'm supposed to be training Sarabi soon." He neglected to tell her that they'd be venturing off into the desert to find the beast. He didn't think she'd be fond of that information, and he didn't want her to show up unexpectedly like she was wont to do.

Sakura's face fell, which wasn't really a good thing, but it made his heart swell with happiness nonetheless.

"Can't you just do it tomorrow?" she asked.

Gaara shook his head. "That wouldn't be fair to her, now would it?"

Sakura crossed her arms, nearly pouting but not quite. "I'm sure she wouldn't mind if you postponed."

A smile tugged at his lips. "Are you jealous?"

"Uhh, yeah," she said, reaching for his hand and linking their fingers together. "I want all of your attention at every waking moment."

"Because you're my girlfriend," he said, sounding much more confident than he felt. It was a question, as much as it didn't sound like one.

"That's a good enough reason, isn't it?"

Gaara stopped short, yanking roughly on her arm so that she came tumbling into his chest. She yelped in surprise and braced herself against him, looking up at him with wide, fiery eyes.

"You're a tricky little thing, aren't you?" he said lowly, his eyes narrowed to slits.

"You wouldn't like me as much if I weren't," she said stubbornly.

He wasn't so sure about that.

"Just tell me straight, please," he said, trying not to feel annoyed. She looked too pretty for him to feel annoyed with her right now.

"I already told you yes," she said sassily, reaching up to roughly push his bangs out of his face. "You know I really like you, right?"

Gaara shrugged, averting his gaze.

"What kind of fool would I be to turn down an offer like that?" she demanded.

"You didn't seem so keen on the idea before," he said accusingly.

"It'll be hard," she admitted softly. "I don't want to move away from Konoha, so that will put a lot of distance between us."

Gaara murmured his acknowledgement.

"But I don't want to regret anything either," she continued, leaning even closer to him, "and you're, like, perfect. I can't let you slip through my fingers."

Gaara's heart constricted painfully in his chest and he squeezed her hand before bringing it up to his chest and holding it there.

"It'll be hard," he agreed, "but there's no doubt in my mind that it will be worth it."

A slow grin spread across her face. He was so happy to see her happy that he grinned, too. Though she meant far more to him than just an item on his checklist, her mentally applauded himself for finishing one more task and leaned down to press a kiss to her lips.

He had meant for it to be chaste because, well, they were in public and there were quite a few people around on the street. Sakura had other plans, though. She tossed her arms around his shoulders and hoisted herself up against him, her fingers curling into his hair. She deepened their kiss, much to his chagrin. Even with Matsuri he had never shown affection like this on the streets.

A wolf whistle from across the street jarred him and he pushed her away with a hot blush on his cheeks. Sakura only seemed amused by this. She turned to face the source of the whistle – a group of genin enjoying their dinner on a nearby patio. They cheered and hollered at Sakura, who waved back cheerily, not a trace of embarrassment on her.

He supposed he had no reason to be embarrassed. The genin weren't mocking him and Sakura seemed happy. In fact, she was downright glowing. It pleased him to know that it was his doing, and that now he could kiss her whenever he wanted, even out here on the streets.

Because she was his girlfriend, he thought with a dazed smile.

"Do you really have to train with Sarabi right now?" Sakura asked, tugging on his arm.

He wasn't sure his heart could take all this stimulation.

"Yes," he said, falling into step beside her, "but your jealousy is kind of charming."

"Really? Because yours was kind of annoying."

Gaara made a noise of disapproval. "When was I jealous?"

"Umm, like the whole time Sasuke was here, you dumbass," she said, "and a little bit when he wasn't."

"Oh, I wasn't jealous," he lied.

"Good, because I was thinking of hunting him down and accepting his offer," she said, a mischievous glint in her eye. "He still needs a medic, you know."

He eyed her warily, sure that she was joking, but unable to help the sting her words brought.

"Oh, don't give me that look," she said, reaching up to smack him. He didn't allow her to, instead catching her wrist and shoving it back toward her chest. "You know I'm just teasing you," she said.

He was well aware of her penchant for teasing him. He only hoped he'd come to appreciate it eventually.

But underneath her façade, he could tell that Sasuke's reappearance and subsequent disappearance still bothered her. He assumed that the whole Sasuke thing was something that would follow her for a long time. He wanted to believe that his jealousy was normal – Sakura would have no reason to bring it up otherwise. Maybe she relished in it the same way he relished in hers.

The difference was that he'd never had any romantic feelings for Sarabi, and Sakura must have known that.

"Okay, okay, I get it," Sakura said, her brows knit in concern. He realized he'd been frowning. "The Sasuke thing is still a little raw. I won't bring him up again."

"No," Gaara said, stopping once again and pulling her shoulders around to face him. He cupped her neck in his hands, relishing in the feeling of her skin against his, her eyes glittering in his direction. "I'm sorry. That was on me. Now I have to go, but I'm going to come find you when I'm finished, okay?"

"Okay," she said, leaning into his hands.

He bent down to kiss her once more, just because he could.