I'm a writing FIEND!
i can't stop!!! must...write...a new...chapter... Ogasps for airO
honestly folks, you cannot imagine how happy i am to hear that you all like my story... hell, Sakuradeathblossom runs around naked!
booyah!

;-)

When I returned home from the office, I threw my robes onto the couch, silently cursing at the oversized things, and went in search of Sakura.

I found her sitting on our bed reading the book that I had given her.
I watched silently from the doorway as she read.
Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she reluctantly read every word.

Walking into the room, she looked up at me and said as her voice cracked, "Did you forget something?"

Shaking my head and sitting down next to her I said, "No. I took the day off."

"Oh…" she said she returned her glazed eyes back to the book.

"I warned you." I said quietly.

"I know you did. I just didn't think it was going to be this bad…"

"What part are you at?" I asked her.

"I'm at the part where your Great-Grandmother plots to kill your Great-Grandfather; you know, the part right after he nearly beats her to death…"

I nodded my head slightly, knowing it only got worse from there.

"Tell me Gaara, is all of your family's lives so brutal?"

"Until recently." I said as I slightly smiled at her.

"Why didn't anyone stop this when they knew what was going on?" she asked desperately, shaking the book for emphasis.

"Because what happens in the family stays in the family. If ever a time comes and one of my successors doesn't become Kazekage, then that book must be burned. No one outside of this family is allowed to know what we've done to each other in the past."

"Then why are you letting me read it?"

"Because you're about to become a member of this family Sakura. One day you will have your own chapter in that book."

Sakura sighed and stared at the book once again.

"Maybe our story will brighten the book up a little…" she said as she smiled at me slightly.

I kissed her forehead and stood up once again.
I had to get out of there…I knew all about what she was reading and I couldn't sit there and watch her suffer through it.
But she had to read it, she had to know what she was marrying in to…

"Where are you going now?" she asked as I moved to leave the room.

"I'm going to go train. I'll be back later."

And I closed the door behind me, leaving Sakura alone with the past.

Preparing myself to train, I closed my eyes and started to collect my mental process; only to have it shattered once again by Shukaku's voice…

You're giving me a bad reputation boy…
First the villagers no longer fear you.
You stopped killing for fun.
And now you've fallen in love and you're getting married?!
It's like I'm not even here.

I know you're there…it's kind of hard to forget.

Now is not a good time for you to be amused boy…how about we destroy the village, backstab Konoha, and kill the girl?

No.

A sharp pain shot through my head and I grasped it as I hit the ground.
I don't remember Shukaku being this mad since the hospital…

As the pain subsided, I remained kneeling in the sand, dripping sweat, and gasping for air.

"Don't let anyone see you doing that again…" a deep older voice said from behind me.

"Baki." I said, acknowledging his presence and shakily standing up. "Why are you here?"

"I just heard the announcement."

I nodded at him and waited to see if there was anything else he wanted to tell me; but he just stood there staring at me.
I could tell there was something more that he wanted to say, but he was reluctant to say it.

"It's been a long time since I've run one of your training sessions…" he said, "how about I train you today?"

I nodded at him once again and watched as he walked down the sand dune to where I was standing.

"Are you ready?" he asked me as he assumed a fighting stance.

I smirked at him, "I'm much stronger then I used to be."

"We'll see about that. The last time we sparred I…" but he was cut off by my sand tapping him on his shoulder.
When he turned his head to face it, he found all of his kunai pointed at him with my sand poised to attack.
Dropping his pose immediately, he returned his gaze to me.

I smirked at him once again.

"New rule: no sand or weapons."

"Fine." I said as I released my sand.

"Begin!" Baki said, and the day's training had commenced.

After training, Baki and I sat underneath the protection of some of my as it blocked the unrelenting sun.

"You've surpassed me." Baki said. "But I guess that is to be expected by the Kazekage."

I smirked as I took a sip out of my canteen.

"The elders said that it's not a political marriage, it's a marriage by choice…is this true?"

I nodded at him and said, "Yes. Sakura and I have decided to get married. I didn't see it happening so soon, but since the elders brought it up, I may as well act on it."

Baki looked at me, sadness haunting his face, "I had a wife once…" he said softly.

I looked at him from behind my canteen as I took another drink.

After a long pause I asked, "What happened to her?" since it was obvious that he was going to leave it at that.

Leaning back against the sand, Baki continued, "We had been married a year to the day, with a child on the way; but when Suna was attacked during the great war, our house was hit…killing her and the child that she was still caring within her."

After a moment of silent reflection, Baki turned to me and asked, "Are you happy?"

Stunned by his question, since Baki never once showed any concern for my wellbeing or happiness, I simply nodded at him.

"Good." he said as he nodded at me. "My only advice to you is savor every moment you have with her…because you never know when you won't have anymore to savor."

I removed my sand when I saw him moving to stand up.
Laughing to himself while he brushed himself off and offering me his hand to help me up, he said, "But listen to me talking to you like you're easily injured…I can't even hit you anymore!"

Grabbing his hand and pulling myself up I responded, "Well, you get slower as you get older."

"Not funny." he said, and together we walked back to Suna.

When I returned to the house, I found a very disgruntled Temari and Kankuro.
Ignoring their death glares, I went to my room in search of Sakura; but she wasn't there.

Returning to where I had left my siblings, I asked, "Where's Sakura?."

"She said she needed some air. I think she's on the roof."

I turned around once again and headed for the window in my room.
Jumping onto the roof easily, I found her staring out over the desert with her back towards Suna.

"Do you miss Konoha?" I said, letting her know I was there.

"It's hard to believe it's out there past all of that sand…" she said still staring ahead.

I sat down next to her and stared ahead as well.

"How was training?" she asked me as she leaned her head against my shoulder.

"Fine. Baki trained me today."

"Really? How is he doing?"

"He's fine."

"Hmm. Oh, here." she said as she handed me the book back.

"You finished it already?" I said slightly amazed.

Chuckling she responded, "You keep forgetting that Tsunade was my sensei, this was light reading compared to what she used to make me read. Everything in that book is so thorough; I had to keep reminding myself that it was about real people and not fictional characters that I would read about in a novel…"

"And you still stand by your decision?"

"Of course I do. Why do you think that I'm going to change my mind or regret my decision?"

"Because I'm not the first person you've felt this way about." I said, and immediately wished that I had remained silent.

"What do you mean…" she asked suspiciously and dangerously.

Knowing that I was already in trouble, I decided to at least finish my thought. "You use to love the Uchiha, did you not? I just want you to be sure that this is really what you want before you go through with it."

Sakura didn't say anything.
She just stared at me…which let me know just how mad she was at me.
Of course, when she acted like this, she was beyond mad…furious wouldn't even cover the extent of her anger.
I'm pretty sure I felt Shukaku shudder at her glare, which is really impressive on her part.
I almost felt happy for the girl to accomplish such a feat, but then I remembered that I was the one she was directing her anger at.

She stood up silently and returned to the inside of the house. I wasn't surprised when I heard and felt the vibrations of my bedroom door slamming shut and heard my window forcefully being closed and locked as well.

I was what Kankuro calls, 'in the dog house'.

Sighing and knowing that putting off facing her would only make things worse, I jumped down from the roof and entered our house through the front door.

Waving away Kankuro's and Temari's curious stares, I walked to my room and tried to open it…I was honestly surprised to find it locked.
I knew she was mad at me, but I didn't think she was that mad at me, because locking me out of my own room took a backbone made of steel

Taking a few breaths to calm the anger building, I said, "Sakura. Let me in."

"No! You can meditate on the couch all night because I am not sharing a bed with you tonight."

Kill her. Shukaku said simply.

Stay out of this. I barked back.

Ok.

Shocked that he had just agreed to what I told him to do, I said, Did you just agree with me?

Of course I did! Did you see that look she gave you on the roof? That girl is going to do more damage to you then I ever could…so I'm going to sit back and enjoy the show.

Now my anger had doubled.

Fed up with this stupid game, I transported myself into my room, only to find Sakura sitting on the bed.

Her glare only increased its intensity as she threatened me, "I said go away!"

"No. This is my room and I will come and go as I please. If you don't like it, you can use the couch."

"I said GET OUT!" she was yelling at me now as she stood up on my bed towering over me.

"Why are you so angry?" I asked her calmly, "Is it because what I said is true and you know it?"

"You are not helping yourself…you keep digging yourself deeper and deeper into that hole you dug…"

"Then prove me wrong." I said as I crossed my arms.

Shaking her head she said, "Fine. I'll admit it, I loved him. But not like you think! I thought I loved him…but I came to realize that I loved him like a brother, just like I love Naruto. They are my friends, and they are dear to me. But the love that I have for you…" she sighed and sat back down onto the bed, "It's not even on the same plain."

"That doesn't explain why you're mad."

"I'm mad that you even have to ask me if I truly love you or not! You should know that I do…"

Deciding that she was now approachable, I sat down next to her on the bed.

"Why do you hate him so much anyways?"

"I assume you're talking about the Uchiha."

She nodded and said, "His name is Sasuke."

"No. He's lucky I even call him my one of his names."

"Why do you hate him?" she asked softly, scooting closer to me.
Her anger was completely gone now, and I marveled at the female species' ability to rebound between emotions.

"Because everything he had and gave up is everything that I would have killed for."

"What do you mean?"

"He had friends, he was a strong shinobi, he was accepted, he was cared for, and he was loved. And he gave all of that up. And for what? Revenge? To kill his brother? That's the stupidest reason to give all of that up. He didn't even have the decency to pick you up off of the ground when he knocked you unconscious."

"What are you talking about? He put me on the bench."

Realizing my mistake, I immediately regretted my explanation to her and studied the wall next to me intently.

"Wait…how do you know he knocked me out…"

The wall continued to captivate my attention.

"You were there weren't you!?" she said, the anger returning to her voice. "You were spying on me!!!"

"I was not. I was only curious. You were bringing so many unknowns into my life, I had to study you in order to find out what they were."

"So you're the one who put me on the bench…" she said quietly.

"I watched as you cried and wondered why he wasn't moving to calm you. Then when he left you laying on the ground and I realized that he wasn't coming back, I picked you up and left you on the bench…I didn't know what else to do."

Silence passed between us now.
Sakura played with her fingers and I watched her out of the corner of my eye.

"If he were to come back, what would you do?" I asked her.

Smiling sadly she said, "Try not to kill him."

I smirked and pulled her into me.
I wanted this fighting to end, it was giving me a headache.
I had been fighting my whole life, the last place I wanted confrontation was with the person who brought me peace.

Expecting some resistance from her, I was surprised when she held onto me tightly.

"I will only ask you one more time, and that will be the last time I bring up this topic. Are you sure you want to marry me?"

Sakura released her hold on me, and cupped my face between her hands.
Directing my face so that I was looking her directly in the eyes, she said without a glimpse of hesitation or doubt, "Yes."

Later that night, I was enjoying my night off by laying on my bed as I watched Sakura talk excitedly about our wedding.
She talked forever about clothing, and colors, and traditions that my head was spinning by the end of the night…I never knew weddings were so complicated.

Finally calming down, she crawled her way over to me on the bed and said, "I only have one request."

"What's that?" I said as I shifted my head to better look at her.

"Can the wedding be postponed to two months? Naruto is coming back soon and I really want him to be there for everything…"

Silently reflecting on the noisy blonde boy that would unquestionably get into a numerous amount of calamities at the ceremony, I couldn't help but smile and grant her this one request.

She smiled at me as she laid down next to me, cuddling into my side.
"What do you think our chapter will be like in that book?" she asked me, pointing to the book that was now on my desk.

"I don't know." I said honestly.

"It'll be the happiest addition to it, that's for sure…" she said mumbling.
"Gaara…" she said sitting up once again. "Did you read your mother's diary? It's in there you know…"

"I know. And no, I didn't read it. I don't need to know her thoughts on me right before I was born."

"That's too bad. You should read it when you get the chance…"

"Did you read it?"

She nodded, "She had a lot of hatred towards your father and what he did to her. And you can tell she was torn between hating you and loving you…but you can just tell that her love won out by the way she writes about how you moved within her when she sang lullabies to you at night."

I sat up then. "She wrote that?"

Sakura smiled and nodded at me.

Laying back down I said, "Tell me more."

Sakura supported herself on one of her elbows while her other arm was used to run her fingers through my hair.

I listened all night as she told me all about my mother's private thoughts…

The next day, Sakura and I walked through the streets of Suna.
It was a tradition for anyone who decided to get married: the couple had to walk the streets together and showcase themselves to the village.

The villagers all cheered and yelled their congratulations to us. Sakura waved enthusiastically back at them and her smile seemed to be ever-present on her face.

After our rounds were done, all of the villagers returned to their work; but Sakura wanted to keep walking. She said that it wasn't everyday she got to spend the entire day with me and she wanted to take full advantage of our time.
I was a little annoyed at first, but for some reason, Baki's words came back to me and a strange sense of doom lurked in my stomach.

What was that? I asked Shukaku.

I don't know…but I felt it too. Something big is coming.

Shrugging it off, I let Sakura drag me through the streets.

Near the end of the day, when the sun was finally starting to set, I told Sakura it was time to go home since it would start getting cold soon. She reluctantly agreed and together we started to walk back to my house.

Suddenly, a battered woman limped by us and spit at our feet. I could smell flesh blood on her and knew that she had recently been injured.

Sakura moved to say something to the woman, but I pulled her back and told her to keep walking.
As we walked past the woman, Sakura continued to glare daggers at her.

"Stop staring Sakura." I said.

"Did you see what she did?!" she asked me, pointing back at the woman.

"Yes, I did. But I'll allow it from her."

"Why? What makes her so special?"

"Did you see her bruises and cuts?" I asked Sakura.

"Yeah, but what do they have to do with anything?"

"It's well known in this village that those cuts and bruises and just about every injury or broken bone she has ever received is from her husband."

Sakura stopped dead and stared at me. "Then do something." she demanded.

"I can't."

"Yes you can! You're the Kazekage! Can't you say that just this once a wedding has been dissolved and she is free from that monster's torment?!"

"No. The law states that marriages are final. I will not tamper with our village's traditions."

"So you're just going to let that woman get beat until she's dead?!"

"It's her own fault. She should have been with the man for a longer period of time before she decided to give her life to him. Now she is his, and there's nothing I can do about it."

Sakura shook her head, "It's just not right."

We walked the rest of the way home in silence.

That night, long after Sakura should have been asleep, she asked, "Gaara…you wouldn't ever hit me, would you?"

"Of course not. I am not an animal."

"Good…because I would leave."

I smiled at this, "I know you would. You are not weak like that woman."

She moved to sit on top of me then, and I took in the beauty of her naked body with my eyes.

"I have one more request." she said firmly.

"And what's that?" I asked as I ran my fingers up and down her bare arms.

"At some point before our wedding, and not now because it will sound phony, I want you to tell me that you love me."

I stopped my caresses with my fingers and stared at her silently.
Never in my entire life had I told someone that…not even my uncle.
But I knew I loved her.
I just couldn't say it…

Returning my gaze to her eyes, I nodded at her request. "Fine. But on one condition of my own."

"And what's that?" she asked smiling.

"You are never allowed to sleep with clothes on."

Her mouth dropped open in a mock gasp as I sat up and pinned her underneath me.

I saw her blush as I stared at her below me.

Smirking at her, I leaned in for a kiss and then pulled away to say, "EVER."