Chapter 9
Sakura cringed and bit her lip as Gaara's hands caressed her. She tried to keep quiet, causing a laugh from Gaara. "You're in my house. No one can hear you." She nodded her understanding, not really paying much attention to his words. He tilted her back, kissing down her neck to her chest. She gasped at the feeling, the water still cascading down her. Gaara nipped lightly at her nipple, causing a moan from her, and a smirk from Gaara. He pushed her back, causing her to lean back, bringing her legs before her, and he kissed farther down, eventually earning a bitten off scream.
Sakura was surprised at the skill he had with his tongue, seeing as he'd never really used it like this. He knew just where to lap, just where to suck, and after a minute Sakura felt her body go stiff, the feeling of pure pleasure shooting through her. Gaara lifted his head, looking her in the eye. "Do you still want me?" Sakura nodded, her eyes showed she was serious and Gaara smiled at her, removing his shirt. She watched as he stood to undress, slipping his pants off, then his boxers and Sakura leaned forward, taking him into her mouth.
He ground his teeth, the sensation one he'd never had, and his knees nearly buckled , causing her to back away. Gaara looked at her and paused for a second. She was truly beautiful. Her hair, her face, her body were all perfect. She looked so pure and innocent. It seemed almost a waste to know he was going to have her screaming his name...
He pulled her up and pressed his body against hers, pinning her against the marble wall and lifted her leg over his arm before pushing into her. She screamed, and he pushed again, each scream and moan making him thrust harder till he couldn't handle the pressure anymore and thrust one final time, feeling himself spill. Sakura leaned her head back against the wall, and Gaara looked at her, putting her leg down and leaned forward to kiss her. She leaned to him as well, and the kiss lasted a while, they just stood there. It had been way too long that they'd been alone, and now it seemed that every instant they were together was making up for it. He ran his fingers through her hair, she wrapped her arms around his waist and they just stood, their lips barely touching.
It was a few minutes later that he backed away, smiling at her. "You go ahead and get yourself ready. I'll go down the hall, alright?" Sakura nodded, unable to keep the glow from her cheeks, or the smile off of her face.
She finished her shower and walked down the hall, a short pink kimono with lotus blossoms and a yellow obi. She nearly danced down the stairs at the end of the hall, and looked around, finding Gaara in his office. She knocked on the door and heard him on the other side. "Come in." His voice was flat, and she wondered what was happening till she opened the door.
"Baki-san!" She bowed, and he looked at her, surprised. "Kazekage-sama, what exactly was your mission in Konoha?" Gaara glared ahead, and sighed. "No offence, but it really was a personal visit, none of your business." Baki looked at him, his suspicious gaze turning impressed. "I understand." He smiled at Sakura and turned back to Gaara. "I'll have the papers sent here, as I see you have guests, and none of them will be confidential. I'll need you in on Wednesday, the court is having a meeting about some of the problems we've noticed lately."
"That reminds me." Gaara cut him off. "I'm sending in Haruno to fix a few of the problems at the hospital. They nearly removed Kankoro's appendix today." Baki looked ahead, confused. "I thought he had bone marrow lodged in his shoulder."
"He did." Gaara looked ahead. "Sakura happens to be a med-nin, trained by Hokage-Tsunade. I owe her my brother's life." Gaara spoke softly but firm, and Baki nodded. "When do you wish her to begin?" Gaara looked over. "Wednesday. That will give her two days to adjust to the city and be able to find her way around. Does that suit you?" Gaara looked over, and Sakura nodded before realizing she was before the Kazekage again. "Hai, Kazekage-sama!" She stood at attention. Baki smiled at her, unable to hide his happiness at the thought of the Kazekage finding true happiness. "Till Wednesday, keep safe, Kazekage-sama." Gaara nodded politely. "You as well."
Sakura bowed as Baki walked out of the room and turned to Gaara. "Did I get you in trouble?" She asked, her eyes wide. "No. This is a job, and one I happen to be good at. They understand that even the Kazekage is a human being." Gaara sighed, earning a glance from Sakura. This may be more than she bargained for...
Gaara took her to the kitchen and looked around. "Will anything in here still be good?" She looked around, not expecting much, but he smiled at her. "Baki always is the first to visit for a reason. He brings stocks and supplies, things that I need after I come back. It's a usual thing." Sakura nodded. Gaara pulled a bag out from under the table and began stocking.
Sakura watched as he pulled varied items from the bag, many of them she'd never seen. "What's that?" Gaara looked into his hand, before looking back up at her. "It's black rice. It's similar to brown rice, with more texture." Sakura nodded as he poured the bag into a small container in the corner.
"What's that?" Gaara held up the small bag and opened it. "This is an ugli fruit. It's like an orange and a grapefruit combined." Sakura nodded. It was about half an hour till the shelves were stocked, a chore that usually took about ten minutes, but he wasn't complaining. She looked so into each thing he pulled from the bag, the only thing she had no interest in was the ramen for Kankoro. He cooked, but was usually too busy to do so.
" I know what to make..." He looked around and grinned. He opened the cupboard and pulled out a bunch of items, only about half did she now know what they were. He began chopping and mixing, the sand only doing a small part of the work, and she watched amazed at his skill. He used everything he could from being a ninja to help with the preparations, and began tossing the items into a wok he had pulled out of a cabinet. He tossed the food, putting on more of a show than he realized and Sakura watched as he was able to flip the pan, causing more of a pack in the contents. He finally brought out three bowls and threw the wok into the air and jumped, kicking the bottom. The pack in the wok caused the food to be one giant clump, and he brought out a giant knife, severing the food and it landed perfectly into the bowls. Sakura smiled as he handed her a bowl. "You realize Kankoro won't be back till tomorrow." Gaara looked at the third bowl and sighed. "I'm used to him being here."
They ate, Gaara thinking over where to take her, to show her around. "Get dressed, there's somewhere you have to see." Sakura dressed light, a pretty spring kimono with blue butterflies. Gaara smiled at her and sighed. "You'll want to dress warmer." Sakura looked at him, confused. "It's burning hot out there! Why should I dress warm?"
"This is the desert. It's burning hot during the day, but cold at night." Sakura looked at her kimono and sighed. She dressed a little warmer, a layered kimono under the spring one, and Gaara nodded his approval. They left the house and Gaara took her to the castle.
The stairs were never ending, and Sakura had to stop to take a breath three times on her way up. "You do this every day?" She had her hands on her knees and tried to catch her breath. "Three or four times on a light day." He watched her amused at her responses. They finally reached the top, his office and the stairs leading to the roof. They walked up, and Sakura gasped. She looked up at the stars, there weren't nearly this many in Konoha. She was so taken by the night's beauty she didn't notice Gaara walk to the edge. "Sakura." She looked over and walked ahead, and he looked down as she got to him. She followed his gaze to the city below.
She could see the people still moving about, the lights in the houses below, it was beautiful! "It's gorgeous!" She gasped out, looking upon the whole of Suna. "This is where I go on hard days. I can look on the people of the city, see them hard at work, at play, and it reminds me why I have this job. I took this job to protect Suna. The people, the buildings, this is where I can protect them. To try and make their lives better." Ga looked down adoringly at the village and Sakura nodded. This was more than she'd expected from him. He seemed so cold when he'd arrived in Konoha, seeing him this open was surprising. "You really care about them all, don't you?" He nodded and turned to her.
She looked down for a while longer. It seemed so peaceful from here, and she decided to enjoy it a little longer, which Gaara didn't mind. He put his arm over her shoulder and for a while they stood there, looking out.
"Kazekage-sama!" One of the guards from a lower level erupted through the door. "Report." Gaara turned to him, never taking his arm off of her, which caught the man off guard. "I- uh, there's a ninja from Konoha here to see you. He was hired by us to help out with a few problems, but brought a message with him from the Hokage!" Gaara nodded and looked down at her. "I hope you don't mind, but you'll have to stay in my office for this." Sakura sighed. "Can't I stay up here? It's so pretty..." She looked back over and Gaara smiled. "If you wish. I'll be back up in just a moment, alright?" Sakura nodded and Gaara kissed her before following the traumatized guard.
It was a minute later that Sakura heard the door open and smiled. "That was faster than I thought!" She turned smiling to find Sasuke staring at her. "Sasuke?" She jumped, and he stared at her, surprised. "Sakura, what are you doing here?" Sakura turned back over the edge. "I'm here on a mission under direct order from Gaar- the Kazekage." Sasuke smiled at her. "You look beautiful." He smiled before turning to go back in. Sakura stared down on the city and sighed. He was part of the reason she came here so willingly. She knew that nothing between herself and Gaara could get too strong with Sasuke back, and now he'd followed her here. Tsunade must have realized.
Sakura clenched her hands as she looked down. She wouldn't let him! He'd abandoned her so long ago, and now she wouldn't let him ruin the first good thing to happen to her! She wouldn't let Sasuke take Gaara away from her! She stopped her mind before it took her somewhere too dark. She couldn't think about this now. She had to do something. She had to keep her mind busy...
She walked down the stairs and after a while reached the bottom. She walked out, seeing the guards at the front door. "Excuse me." She smiled, and the guards grinned at her, their faces showing their dirty minds. "The Kazekage is in a meeting now. When he comes out can one of you inform him Sakura has headed to the hospital?" Upon hearing the word Kazekage they snapped to attention. "Yes, miss!" One of the guards ran to the front desk, the woman behind the counter sighed before jotting down the note and running to the stairs. "Thank you!" She smiled before walking out.
"That girl's with the Kazekage?" One groaned, and the other huffed. "I thought he was gay. Damn, he got the pretty one."
Sakura changed at the house quickly before heading to the hospital. She walked in and the hospital staff who was there earlier snapped to attention, telling the other staff to be on their best behavior. "She's with the Kazekage! Don't do anything to make us look bad!"
Sakura observed for the most part, only stepping in when bad mistakes were about to take place. One that specifically got to her was a small girl brought in with a shard of glass in her shoulder. The staff saw the jagged piece sticking out, and were ready to numb and pull it out, when Sakura stopped them. "Numb it quickly, then get her to radiology. Make sure there are no pieces sticking out, you could rip an artery if you try and pull it out like this." The doctors blanched, realizing what she said was true.
"You're supposed to read the boards!" She yelled at a doctor who was taking the wrong patient to the maternity. She looked around after about three hours and decided she needed to go get some sleep. She told the nurse at the reception area that she may be back at any time, and to keep an eye on the doctors.
She walked through the door to find Gaara sitting in the living room. "Gaara! I'm sorry, I just had to get out for a little bit." She smiled and he nodded. "I understand." His face looked a little fallen and she sat next to him. "Sasuke told me he saw you." Sakura nodded. "Yeah, apparently he went through the wrong door." Gaara shook his head. "No, he knew you were there. The guards were talking about you." Sakura looked over and nodded. "Sakura, I have to ask. You don't still care for him, do you?" She looked up at him and sighed. "When I was younger Sasuke was my world. He meant everything to me. One day we were on a mission and he turned to me and thanked me, he abandoned me. He left me there on my own, and as much as I loved him, I could never get over that. I begged him to stay, but he didn't listen. I've suffered since then. He put my life on hold. I won't wait anymore. You make me happy." She looked down, feeling a bit shy suddenly. "I've never felt the way you make me feel. Sasuke never made me feel that I was loved back." Gaara nodded. "What will you do if he does?" Sakura shook her head. "It doesn't matter now. You're the one that I love." Gaara smiled at her and kissed her. "Thank you." He sighed, pulling her in for a hug. She curled up on his chest, they watched a few programs on the television till he noticed her snoring. He smiled at her, uncorking the sand and lifted her up lightly, keeping her comfortable on her way upstairs. He laid her in the bed and covered her with the blanket before kissing her forehead and leaving the room.
She woke the next morning and came down to the kitchen, finding Gaara hard at work making eggs. She yawned as he placed hers before her. "Eggs, pancakes, French toast, sausage, bacon, ham and toast? Don't you think it's a little much?" She giggled as he looked at the over stuffed plate. "I don't know what you like." She smiled at him. "My favorite breakfast food is grapefruit, I generally eat sushi for lunch, cucumber, avocado and crab, and my favorite dinner is..." She thought, but couldn't really eat anything. "I'm not sure. But I like ice cream." She smiled. Gaara looked down at what he'd made and sighed. Sakura picked before eating the egg. Gaara watched as her picking slowly faded and soon she'd eaten everything on her plate! "I've never tasted eggs like this! What spice did you add?" Gaara watched stunned that she could fit so much food in her. "Salt and pepper?" He looked ar her, his eyes wide. She sighed, her grin reaching ear to ear. Gaara couldn't help but laugh at her, she smiled in reply.
They dressed for the desert day, Sakura wore the light pink kimono that fell just above her knees, Sakura blossoms covering the shoulders. The lilac obi with hematite beads fit in perfectly, and Gaara smiled at her, taking in how beautiful she looked in it. She pulled out a pink paper parasol with purple flowers and put on her shoes. "How do I look?" She smiled, posing, and Gaara walked up to her, a smile on his face. "You're beautiful." He kissed her and stepped back. Sakura took in his outfit, he wore a long sleeve tan shirt and matching pants, and a red sash across his chest. She found herself fighting off a blush, he looked dashing! She smiled as he took her arm as they walked from the house. They walked to the hospital first to visit Kankoro, who was trying to get Baki to bring him papers to do to stave off boredom. Gaara shook his head as they walked in, putting his hand on his hip. "You've become a workaholic." Kankoro shrugged. "It needs to be done. I heard about your visit last night, Sakura. They said you were terrifying. A few of the doctors were complaining that they didn't realize how little attention they paid to things till you started pointing it out." He laughed and Sakura smiled at him. "I'm glad to hear that." They chatted for a little bit before Gaara smiled. "Sakura, can I talk to my brother alone?" Sakura nodded before leaving the room.
"What's up?" Kankoro looked at his brother suspiciously. "This isn't like you, smiling, joking and such. You almost have a personality." Kankoro danced with the danger in those words, and wasn't surprised to find he didn't attack. "I'm going to ask her to go to the crest with me." Gaara looked towards the window. Kankoro looked at him in shock. "Are you joking?" Kankoro croaked, his eyes wide. "It hasn't even been two weeks! Are you sure?" Gaara nodded. She's the one. I know it." Kankoro nodded. "You know the fine details here, I know I don't need to remind you. Just do me a favor, give me a week to prepare, alright?" Gaara nodded. "Thank you. I know your part here, I know it's not what you want to think about right now, but thank you." Kankoro nodded. "You know Temari and I will stay there if you want." Gaara nodded. "I'd like that, and I think she would as well." Kankoro looked at him surprised. "Why do you say that?"
"She likes you. It's obvious." Kankoro smiled at his brother. "Ladies love the makeup." Gaara laughed lightly, causing Kankoro to grin. "You really love her, don't you?" Gaara nodded without thought. "I do. I've never been as happy as I am around her." Kankoro nodded. "In this case, best of luck. I wish you the best." Gaara stood and bowed, nearly bringing a tear to Kankoro's eye. "Thank you, brother." Gaara turned and walked out.
They went out to a small restaurant and ate, Gaara remembered her talking about sushi earlier. Sakura loved the food and kept giggling. Gaara looked up at her, occasionally smiling at her. "What's so funny?"
"It tickles!" She giggled, and Garra looked at her confused. "The food?" Sakura started bobbing her head, singing lightly under her breath. Gaara looked at her, reading her lips.
"he tickles in my tummy, he's so yummy-yummy..." Gaara shook his head, unable to keep the smile from his lip. "What song is that?" She looked up at him, blushing lightly. "Something I found online..."
They wandered around the town, looking at the different shops and such. Gaara smiled and watched as she looked over the jewelry counter. "Oh, look at that necklace! It's so pretty!" Gaara looked at the blue opal butterfly and smiled. "You like that one?" Sakura nodded. "The carving is so smooth! It must have been a master jeweler to make that..." She grinned as the man behind the counter pulled it out.
"Not quite." He spoke as he handed the necklace to her. Sakura looked up confused. "What do you mean?" The man smiled at her, his eyes glowing. "That's the prize of this shop. It was actually a first attempt." Sakura looked at it, rubbing her finger over the smooth stone. "Really? Whoever made this must be a jeweling genius!" She giggled and the man behind the counter pointed. "It was him." Sakura turned to Gaara who shrugged. "It was good practice." Sakura looked at him amazed. "You made this?" Gaara shrugged. "I only carved and smoothed the stone, he put them in the setting." Sakura nodded. "I want to try... Where can I get stones like this?" The man behind the counter held out a handful of gems. "What kind do you want? If you bring in stones like that, I'll set them for you, and sell them if you like. This was the one of the batch I've kept. The others were sold within a few days." Sakura nodded. "Let me see what you have!"
"No offence, I don't want yu to waste your money. You can't do this the same way he did." Sakura looked up. "Why?" The man looked over to Gaara, and for a split second Sakura saw fear. "Uh, it was the demon. He used it to sand the stones down." Sakura smiled. "Good! I needed practice using him." the man behind the counter looked ahead, unsure if he'd heard that right till he looked at Gaara. He shrugged and leaned over, looking at the stones and slid his arm over her. The man was surprised at the least for hearing that she used Shukaku as well.
He didn't complain though, as they purchased quite a few stones, and Sakura kept a smile on her face. "Thank you!" She walked out, Gaara putting the bag in his pouch. They walked back up to the top of the castle, and Gaara showed her the view during the day. "Look at all of the people!" She squealed as she looked below, admiring the cuteness of the people below. They're so cute!"
"Yes, but we'll have to be back at the hospital in two hours to get Kankoro, and I have a giant bag for you to practice on."