"If you guys are going to work out with me, you have to keep up." I look over my shoulder to see Yamato and Kakashi behind me several yards back struggling to keep up. This week these two refused to leave my side. They even went so far as both sleeping at my house to make sure I didn't have any more unexpected visitors stopping by. "You know for being elite anbu you guys sure are having a hard time keeping up with an eighteen year old!" I yell behind me as I increase my speed.
"Who just runs for fun Sakura-chan?" Yamato asks. I feel him and Kakashi both push charka into their feet to increase their speed.
"Cheaters! It's supposed to be 100 laps around the village without the use of charka. Come on Kakashi, Guy Sensei does this all the time with me, with no problem."
The two boys say nothing, and just continue to run besides me, infusing their charka. I laugh slightly. These two were differently not used to cardio, or having to build endurance without the use of charka. To be honest I would normally do 200 laps around the village in the morning but I didn't think these two would be able to. Even Guy Sensei tended to struggle once he hit lap 150.
It was about 0500 and all the civilians were still asleep in bed. I always enjoyed my morning jog because I could always use it to clear my head. Gaara should be in the village any day now. I wonder what was going to happen. What is Danzo going to do once he gets here? I knew Danzo must be planning something, he had to be since day one. He was all too willing to send his number one off to another village. He didn't even put up a fight. It worried me. The look the elders gave me weeks ago when it was first announced was something I had be replying in the back of my mind over and over again.
"100!" Yamato calls out as we reach the front gates. I turn and watch Yamato drop to the ground and lay flat out on his back. I laugh as Kakashi bends over and places his hands on his knees breathing heavily.
"Oh come on guys, it wasn't that bad. I didn't even make you guys were weights."
"You were wearing weights?" Kakashi straighten ups and walks over to me. I raise my hand and point to the bracelet I had on my wrist. I watched as Kakashi eyes me. I felt a little awkward. I was only wearing black spandex shorts and a black sports bra with a pair of running shoes. My injuries from my punishment where almost gone and what were still there I hide with a new jutsu I created. The jutsu allowed me to hide any injuries on my skin and have my reflection appear as if it was normal.
"Just a few hundred pounds." I smirked as I watched Kakashi open and shut his mouth, being at a loss for words. I walked over to Yamato and stuck out my hand. He grabbed it and I pulled him up to his feet.
"What is the plan for today Sakura-chan?" Yamato was still breathing heavily and I couldn't help but laugh.
"I think you two deserve some homemade breakfast." Yamato instantly perked up at the thought of food and began to drag me back to my apartment, with Kakashi right behind us.
"How come you seem to move faster when food is mentioned? I think Naruto is starting to rub off on you." I laugh as we walk into my apartment.
I head to the fridge and pull out three cold water bottles. I throw two to the boys and they sit down on my couch. I shake my head at the two tired anbu and return to the kitchen. I begin to cook waffles, eggs, potatoes and toast. Once the food was almost done I return to the oranges on the counter and begin to make fresh orange juice.
When everything is done I call them into the kitchen and watch as they quickly eat down the food. I excuse myself and go to the bathroom and turn on the water. I undress and wait for the water to heat up before I step in. As the water washes over me I can't help but have my mind wander. Kakashi and Gaara pop in and out of my thoughts and I quickly become irritated. I am not supposed to have these unexplained feelings. I am a ninja, a shinobi of the Leaf. I cannot be focused on matters of the heart when our two villages could go to war if I make one wrong move.
"Have you talked to her about the scroll yet?" I ask as I take another waffle and put it on my plate. Man Sakura sure did know how to cook. But why didn't she have anything to eat?
"No. You saw how closed off she became after the whole Sasuke incident. I am giving her more time before I ask her about it." I watch as Kakashi leans back and closes his eyes.
"When are you going to tell her how you feel Kakashi?" I knew he had loved Sakura for a while now. It's one of the reasons why he left her with Tsunade. He had begun developing feeling for her after she turned 15 and felt ashamed, that's why he tried to put as much distance between the two of them as possible. I knew Kakashi was still beating himself up for leaving her all alone, but I understood why he did it. He was 23 and was starting to develop feeling for a 15 year old. Yeah it was a little creepy but he never acted on it. Now Sakura was no longer a young girl but a women, of legal age, there should be nothing holding him back.
"I can't. I don't deserve her." Kakashi got up before I could protest and put his plate in the sink and walked over to the front door. "I have a meeting with Tsunade, keep an eye on Sakura for me" and with that he was out the door.
I glanced up at the clock which read 0730. Lair! There is no way Tsunade is awake yet, her first meeting of the day normally isn't until noon. I wonder where he actually ran off to.
"Kakashi left?" I look up to see Sakura standing dressed, ready for the day. Her hair was pulled out of her way and tucked behind her ear. She wore a soft blush and red lipstick. Her long-sleeve jounin shirt was pushed up to her elbows and her gloves were stuffed in her pocket.
"Yeah he went home to shower and change. What is your plan for the day?" I stood up and began helping her clear the table.
"I have another shift at the hospital at 8:30." I let out a groan, I knew what that meant. She had another twelve hour shift. "Yamato I can take care of myself. While I appreciate everything you and Kakashi are doing I do not think it is necessary. I will be at the hospital all day. What trouble could I possibility get into?"
"No I would love to accompany you to the hospital." There is no way I could leave her alone, if Kakashi found out he would skin me alive…slowly. She shakes her head and states that if I was going to tag along then she was going to treat me to coffee before she went to the hospital.
The walk to the coffee shop was quite. Sakura seemed lost in thought and I was tired. Kakashi had kept me up all night. Every hour, on the hour, he would get out of his bed and walk over to Sakura's room and check on her. Sakura had set up two beds in the living room and while they were soft and comfortable, Kakashi made it impossible to get a deep sleep. I honestly had no idea how Kakashi was able to stay awake. Maybe he ran home to catch some sleep while I am stuck babysitting. That bastard!
Once we arrive at the hospital Sakura is immediately taken to perform an emergency surgery, and I am left to wait in her office. After three hours of waiting I give up on trying to catch some sleep on her couch and become bored. I glanced over at her desk and noticed she had several scrolls and books piled on top of one other. I fight the urge to get up and check out the documents for another hour before my curiosity gets the better of me.
I glance at the door before I jump up and make my way to her desk. I am pleasantly surprised when I see she has a picture of the current Team 7 placed on her desk. While Sakura was the only one smiling, it was still a nice picture. Next to that photo was picture of the sand siblings. I wonder how close they all had become. Did she trust them more than she trusts us? If that's the case, I can't say I blame her. We were not there when she needed us, she ran to Gaara for comfort when she could have had all the support in the world right here in the Leaf if she had just felt like she could come to us.
My eyes brush pass the photos and land on the medical file. I knew it was wrong but I reached down and picked up the file. I took one more look at the door before I opened up the file and begin reading it. However, as much as I tried to make out the file it was written in the same langue as the scroll Kakashi found. Maybe the scroll and medical file are connected somehow? Or maybe that's just the jutsu she uses when she doesn't want others reading her files.
I put the file down knowing from firsthand experience that there was no way I would be able to crack the code, without the help Kakashi. I make a mental note to tell Kakashi about the file when I see him again and pick up one of her medical books. I skim through the book and notice it is all about poisons. The poisons range on how deadly to how long they had been around. The book also listed the side effects and possible cures. Sakura had placed colorful sticky notes through the entire book. All the poisons she mark effected the victim's eyesight. Maybe she had a patient that she believed to have been poisoned and was trying to find a cure. I seat the book down and pick up another one.
This book had the Uchiha crust on the front. I looked at it confused. Why would Sakura have a book like this? I flip open the book to notice she had made notes inside. I take the book and sit down on the couch. Man I hope I pick up on her presence quick enough to put the book back. I turn to the middle of the book where it seems she has stuck the most sticky notes and begin reading.
Another two hours pass and I was hundred pages into the book. It was amazing all the different topics it contained. It talked about how to escape different genjutsu and how to strength your endurance with the sharingan. I reached one of the last chapters when I realized the chapter was labeled caution. I turn the page and discover the entire chapter is dedicated to how overuse of the eyes can lead to blindness and in some rare cases death.
The more I read the more confuse I got. Why would Sakura be reading a book like that? There is only two remaining members of the Uchiha clan and Sasuke's eyes seemed fine during our fight. The only other member would be Itachi Uchiha but what would Sakura have to do with him? I was lost in thought and didn't notice the door was opening until it was too late.
"What do you think you are doing?"
"Gaara can we stop a take a break?" Kankuro calls behind me. I turn and notice the beads of sweet on Kankuro's and Temari's foreheads. I nodded and we jump down from the trees to the forest floor. We had left Suna as soon as the sun rose and hadn't stop for a break yet. I didn't want to stop, I wanted to be with Sakura. I was nervous on how she was going to react.
"Hey you okay?" Temari asks as she hands me a bottle of water.
"I'm fine. I just want to be in the Leaf as soon as possible." Temari nodded her head and shot a glance at Kankuro who was whining about how his feet hurt. "How much longer until we reach the Leaf?"
"If we continue our pace and have minimal breaks we should reach Konoha by nightfall." The trip would normally take three days but with the help of Sakura we could limit it to one through the use of transportation hotspots. Sakura had placed a seal at the halfway mark between Suna and Konoha, which allowed ninja who knew the proper hand signs to cut their travel time in half. I had wanted her to place a seal inside of her village and in mine to limit the travel completely but Sakura was afraid if Danzo found out that he would use the portal as a way to attack Suna form the inside. I completely understood her point, if Danzo could transport his ninja inside of Suna without notice it could have a deadly outcome.
"How do you think she is going to respond to the marriage proposal?" Kankuro was pissed at the idea. I think deep down he had hoped she ended up with him, but I knew Sakura had only ever looked at him as an older brother. I couldn't blame him for his feelings toward Sakura, any man would be stupid not to have feeling for the pink haired blossom.
"I have no idea. But if the firer lord is serious about voiding the treaty if we do not weed then I have no doubt that Sakura will agree in order to keep the treaties." My eyes look up at the sky and I notice a crow is flying in circles above us. I look closely at the crow and notice it is a massager bird. I hold out my hand and allow the bird to fly down and land on my arm. I unwrap the small piece of paper from around its ankle.
Kazekage,
I know of your arrangement with Ms. Haruno. Beware of the elders, for they do not have Haruno's best interest at heart. Also beware that Ms. Haruno will stop at nothing to protect the ones around her, even if that means she has to give up her life in order to do so. I entrust her well-being to you for the meantime.
-A Friend
The crow flies away and I pass the note around to Kankuro and Temari. "What the hell does that mean?" Kankuro asks as he passes the note back to me.
"It means we need to get to the Leaf now. Sakura is in trouble." My siblings and I share a glance before we jump back into the trees and make our ways to Konoha. With each step I take my heart raced faster and faster wondering if Sakura was alright. I look up at the sky wondering who my new friend could be. For the now I will have to trust their word and hope they are looking out for Sakura-chan.
Just hold on Sakura, I will be there soon.
"What are you doing?" I ask as I step into Sakura office holding a bag of food. Yamato quickly scrambles to his feet closing the book while turning a bright shade of red.
"I got bored and began to read one of Sakura's books, though I'm sure if she knew she would kill me."
"Well you might want to put it back, I can feel her approaching closer toward the office." I held back a laugh as Yamato rushed to put the book back on her desk. He barely had enough time to put the book down and turn around when her office door opens again. Yamato jumps away from the desk and ends up falling, landing on his ass.
"Owww!" Yamato hollers.
"What in the world?" My blossom walks into the room looking exhausted. I can feel just how low her chakra is. Had she been working all day? I look at the clock it was almost 3pm, had she not taken a break yet?
"Sorry Sakura-chan, Kakashi pushed me." Yamato looked up at me with a smirk and I responded with a glare. Sakura looked at me but didn't question it. She closes her office door and walks over to her chair, where she practically collapses into it. She leans her head back and her hands reach up and begin to message her temples.
"You alright?" I ask putting the food on her desk. She just nods her head, keeping her eyes close. "Long day?"
"An anbu came in half day. He was returning from a S ranked mission when this team was ambushed. I haven't gotten the specifics from Tsunade on the mission just yet, but it looks like it was just a trap to lure out one of our better teams."
"Are they stable?" Yamato asks getting up off the floor and making his way to the couch.
"Four out of the five are stable. However, one we won't know until tomorrow. There is blood slowly leaking into his brain, I removed most of it and I think I was able to stop most of the bleeding. The next 24 hours are very critical. I'm going to stay here tonight and monitored him."
While I didn't like the idea of Sakura spending the night in the hospital I knew there was nothing I could do to convince her otherwise. Sakura was one hell of a medic, and her patients always come first. "Have you eaten today?" I know she hadn't which is why I picked up one of her favorite. I reach into the bag and begin to pull put orange chicken, white rice, steam veggies and eggrolls. Sakura opens her eyes and shakes her head saying no she hadn't. I make her a decent size plate of food and hand it to her.
"Thank you so much Kakashi-sensei." She flashes me a smile and then quickly begins to dig in. I let out a laugh, Sakura might be a badass but she was still human, which meant she still got hungry. "Tonight you guys are sleeping at your own houses. I appreciate you guys being worried, but if I'm staying at the hospital tonight, I will be perfectly fine." I go to protest but she shoots me a glare. "No butts Mr. Hatake. Please don't forget I am an anbu, I can handle my own."
I make another plate and hand it to Yamato. He quickly begins stuffing his face. He seemed happy at the thought of being to sleep in his own bed tonight. This week had taken a toll on the both of us. Every time she was out of our sight we worried that she was back with Danzo. I wanted nothing more than to protect her, to take her place but I was useless, there was nothing I could do.
Knock! Knock!
"Come in!" Sakura calls out quickly swallowing her mouth full of food.
A young inter steps in holding a stack of files in her hand. "Ms. Haruno you are need in wing two. Sorry to interrupted your lunch."
Sakura was back in doctor mood without a second thought. She stood from her desk completely forgetting about her uneaten food and pulled on her doctor coat. She grab the files from the young nurse and began reading them. "Not a problem. If I am in the hospital I am on the clock, never hesitate to come get me. Yamato, Kakashi excuse me." We say goodbye and she is out the door. But as quickly as she is out the door she is running back in. She runs toward me and throwing her arms around me giving me a hug. I could feel my checks heat up. "Thank you for the food Kakashi-sensei, it means a lot." I quickly hug her back and within two seconds she is out of my arms and headed out the door toward her new patient.
"If I knew I would have gotten that reaction I would have brought her lunch weeks ago." I say out loud not really meaning to.
"Ah Senpai what am I going to do with you?" Yamato shakes his head and refills his plate with another severing of orange chicken. "By the way I want you to take a lot at this medical file on her desk."
I was surprised the boys actually listened to me and went home. It was kind of nice to be able to breath without someone being at my side asking if I was okay or tired. I know they meant well but I was becoming frustrated. I was not some weak genin who could not handle her own, I was an anbu and head medic, I didn't need to be babysat.
I was sitting in the penitent's room waiting for his test results to come back. After I finished in the wing I came over and began working on the anbu again. I was confidante that I was able to remove all the liquid in his brain and if that was true the anbu would be perfectly fine after a few weeks. A night nurse walks in and hands me his results, I nervously open the file only to be replaced by instant joy. This anbu was out of the clear.
I stayed in his room for another hour motioning his vitals and triple checking everything before I decided he is well enough for me to go home for the night. I inform the night nurse if there is any problems to summon me at once, no matter the time. I go back to my office and collect Itachi's file before heading home.
Once home I decided I needed to do a little cleaning, especially if the Gaara, Temari and Kankuro would be staying here. I mop, sweep, dust, wipe and wash the entire house until everything was sparkling. I removed Kakashi's and Yamato's temporary beds and place them in the washer. Once they were done washing I reset them up in the second bedroom. While I still lived in an apartment, the rooms were huge. I set up three beds, and made sure there were extra pillows and blankets.
After I was satisfied with my set up I decided to take a nice long bath. I walk back into my room and quickly discharge my clothes on the floor and walk into the bathroom. I grab some bath salts and a bath bomb and wait for the water to be just right. I grab my Uchiha book and step into the tub.
The water felt so good. My muscles were sore and the hot water was working wonders. I skimmed through the book until I found the chapter on over using your eyes. I had read this chapter over 20 times, but I felt like I was missing something. It stated that you could become blind through overuse but it did not explain Itachi's other symptoms.
He was coughing up blood and having a hard time breathing. Trying to sleep had become harder and harder and he feared he might not live long enough for Sasuke to kill him. I ran the blood and hair samples from our last encounter but I wasn't able to come up with anything. In order to do proper treatment I need to be with Itachi, doing this back and forth thing was clearly not working. I need to be at his side to see how bad it was. I needed to be there to test new medication and see how he would react to it. I needed him here in Konoha, with me.
After twenty minutes of rereading I closed the book in frustration, I was still getting no were. I sink deeper into the water, trying to hide from all my problems. I sat in the tube for another twenty minutes before I finally decided to get out. I walk back into my bedroom and dress in shorts and a sports bra and climbed into bed. My heart didn't know what it wanted and my head wanted to focus on other matters at hand. I was torn, man was it simpler when things were black and white….
"Finally!" Kankuro yells, waking up the two guards at the entrance of Konoha. The two glare at Kankuro while I hand them our papers, proving we had been given permission to enter their village. They nodded and we entered into the village.
We hadn't been in this village since we were sent to help save Sasuke, several years ago. It was already midnight and there were few people on the streets. The ninja that were awake eyed us as we made our way toward the Hokage Tower. The whole way here I had been trying to figure out the right worlds to say to Sakura and I just now realized I never once thought of how I would break the news to Tsunade. I felt extremely stupid to have forgotten about her. She cared for Sakura like a daughter, and I had no idea how she would react to the news.
As we made her way to the office I secretly hoped Tsunade was long gone. I knocked three times and my heart dropped when I heard her say come in. We entered to find a half drank bottle of alcohol on the table and Tsunade in her chair holding a picture frame.
"Ah Lord Gaara, I wasn't expecting you until morning." Tsunade placed the frame back on the desk, turned away from us. "There is a meeting tomorrow around five to discuss the treaty. Is there something we need to discuss tonight?"
I took a breath and nodded. "There has been a request made by your feudal lord, and my council has agreed to it, though I am not sure you will." Tsunade narrowed her eyes ad nodded. "There has been a request that Sakura-san and I be married."
"What?" Tsunade slammed her fists on the desk, cracking it.
"Your feudal lord personally requested it. He states if I do not marry Sakura then the current treaty will be voided and our too villages will go to war." I watched as anger flashed in her eyes. So Tsunade wasn't the one to recommend this to the feudal lord, then who was? I knew this wasn't coming from the lord, no someone put that idea in his mind.
Tsunade stood up and turned toward the window. I could see her reflection in the window, what was she looking at? "Do you have feeling for Sakura-chan?"
I was taken back by the statement, no one had come out and directly asked me that question. I loved Sakura, she was the only women I had ever thought about spending the rest of my life with. "I have strong feeling for Sakura-san."
Tsunade turned around facing us, confusion was written all over her face. "Temari, Kankuro can I ask you to step into the hallway and allow me to talk with Lord Gaara privately for a moment?" They both looked at me, I nodded telling them to compline. Once they were outside of the room, Tsunade began questioning me again. "Do you love her?"
I was silent for a moment. Love? I was certain these unknown feelings I had for Sakura was love. I knew I loved her with all my heart once I died. When I died I just kept picturing Sakura. She was the one who pulled me out of my darkness. Naruto might have been the one to open up my eyes, but Sakura was the one who was by my side. Even as children she is the only I can remember smiling at me, besides my family. When Temari told me later that Sakura was going to perform that jutsu before Chico took her place, I couldn't believe it. I knew it that moment I had to become stronger, so Sakura was never put in that position again. She would never have to feel like she had to give her life for mine.
"I love her with all my heart. Tsuande-sam I do not want to hurt her Sakura-chan, but I do not know what to do here. My village, my people, they are in danger. Your village, and your people are in danger. I do not want to force Sakura into this marriage but I have to think of my people. What kind of a Kazekage would I be if allowed bloodshed because I did not wish to get married?"
"Have you talked with Sakura yet?"
"No I felt it might have been better if I waited and talked to you. I thought maybe you would have so good ideas on how to handle this."
"Let me think about it overnight. For now go and rest. We will talk with Sakura-chan together tomorrow." I bow and exist the office.
"So what's the plan?" Kankuro asks yawning. I looked at my siblings, and pure exhaustion was written all over their faces. Before we left Suna we had to do doubles in order to make sure everything was set up and could function while we were gone for a week.
"We go to Sakura's place and get some rest." We made our way out of the tower and toward Sakura's apartment. I knew exactly where it was from the last time I was here and Temari would live with Sakura when she was in the Leaf helping prepare for the Chuin Exams. We reached her apartment in no time. I watched as Temari pulled out her spare key and unlocked the door. We enter the apartment to find no lights. Is she here?
I flip on her living room light. I focused my senses trying to find Sakura-chan and discovered she was in her bedroom. "Temari, Kankuro why don't you go to the spare room and catch some sleep. I'll let Sakura-chan know we are here." My siblings agree, being too tried to fight my order. I quietly walk to Sakura's bedroom and knock lightly on the door. When I didn't get a reply I just pushed the door open.
There was my cherry blossom fast asleep. She looked even more tired than the last time I saw her. How thin was she stretching herself? Between the hospital, Danzo and her team did she ever just stop and breathe? I walked over to the bed and sat beside her, running my fingers through her hair. After a couple of minutes she began to stirrer.
Those beautiful eyes opened and she just stared at me. "Hello Sakura-chan." Sakura sat up and pulled me into a hug.
"When did you get here?"
"An hour ago, I had to report to Lady Tsunade before I could come over." I say tightening the hug. I felt a little calmer now. I was with Sakura-chan, she seemed fine. I had been worrying since the day she left Suna to return with the second draft. Ever since then she hadn't been writing as much and was late to report back to me that she had gotten home alright.
"Everything go okay on your journey here?" I nodded my head yes. I didn't want to tell her about my new friend, at least not yet. She didn't need to be freaked out more than she already was.
"Come on Blossom go back to bed, we can talk in the morning." She let out a yawn before lying back down and spatting on the other side of the bed. I undressed and climbed into bed with her. She felt so warm. This felt so right. Sakura laid her head against my chest and within ten minutes she was fast asleep. I ran my fingers through her hair over and over again, it was so calming. Maybe this marriage thing isn't such a bad idea. I pulled Sakura closer to me and shut my eyes….it had been a long day.
I jumped rooftop to rooftop making my way to Sakura's apartment. I swear she is going to be the death of me. After doing some training with Naruto and going home to shower and changed I had stopped by at the hospital. I wanted to see how Sakura-chan was doing and if she needed anything, only to be told by a nurse that she had left two hours ago. Sakura knew that she could have summoned one of my hounds and they would have came and got me if she wanted to go home instead of speeding the night at the hospital.
Her apartment comes into view and I double time it. I was worried she wasn't sleeping in her apartment. I was worried she was back with Danzo, back in trouble. I quickly unlocked her door and proceed inside. Our temporary beds where no longer in the front room. What did she do with them? Was she sick of us sleeping here?
I ignored my own questions and that little voice inside of my head that told me to just leave. I walk to her bed room and pushed the door open.
I walk inside and my heart shatters into a million pieces.
There was the women I have been madly in love with for years in bed with another man. Her head rested on his bare chest and I felt rage run through my body when I noticed the discarded clothes on the ground. Did they…?
"Kakashi?" Gaara's eyes open and he glares at me. Go ahead and glare you little sand prick.
"Sorry to have interrupted. I was just coming to check on Sakura-chan." My already broken heart shattered even more as I watched her sleeping form move closer to Gaara and her arm wrap around his waist.
"She is fine. I got her."
"Yeah I can see that." My voice came out angry. I turned and walked out the door. I left her apartment not even bothering to lock the front door. What the fuck is he doing here? What the fuck is he doing in her bed? Who the fuck does he think he is to be holding her while she slept?
It hurt. It hurt like hell to see her with him. I loved her. I wanted her. As soon as I left her apartment my anger was replaced with heartbreak and I knew of only one medicine that could help dull the pain, at least for a little while. I jump off one of the rooftops and made my way to one of the open bars.
The morning rays crept through her blinds, lighting up the room. I glanced over at her clock, it was only 0700. It had been a long night and while I had slept, it wasn't deep or peaceful. Today is the day we tell Sakura she has to marry me.
What if this isn't what she wants? What if she has to be forced into doing this in order to protect our two villages and prevent bloodshed? But more importantly what was Kakashi doing barging into her bedroom after midnight? He acted as if that course of action was normal.
That look Kakashi gave me…was he jealous I was in bed with his student? That glare Kakashi gave me before leaving, tells me he is going to have a problem with our little deal. I made a mental note to bring Kakashi up to Tsunade when Sakura wasn't around.
I look down at Sakura-chan. She had released her grasp and had turned on her side, facing away from me. I couldn't help by stare at her body. The sleepwear she wore showed every curve she had. She honestly had the prefect body. There wasn't a thing I would change about her.
I guess I was staring a little too long at her because I began to grow hard. I wanted nothing more than to wake Sakura up and show her just how much I loved her, but I couldn't, at least not yet. I quickly climb out of bed, and pulled on my pants. I didn't need Sakura waking up and seeing my boner. I left the room and made my way to the quest bedroom.
"Good morning." I walk into the room to see Temari awake, putting away her clothes in the empty drawers. Kankuro was passed out on his stomach in his underwear snoring. I walk over to my bag and pull out clean clothes for the day.
"Good morning, did you sleep okay Gaara?" I nod as I finished pulling everything out I needed for my shower.
"I am going to take a shower." Temari nodded and refocused on her clothes.
I walk into the bathroom and turn on the water. I didn't wait for it to get warm, I needed the cold to calm my body down. It took standing in a cold shower for ten minutes to finally calm all the way down. God the things Sakura did to me. One look at her and my mind and my body were no longer in control. After I was done showering I dressed and walked into the living room, to find Sakura and Temari sitting on the couch drinking coffee and talking.
"I swear all the hospital staff needs their asses kicked. I don't think they know how to function properly if I am not there. Just the other day one of the idoits tried to take an x-ray of a young girl without having proper protection over the girl's body." Sakura shakes her head causing her hair to fall into her face. My heart skips a beat as I watch her slowly reach up and move it out of her.
"So you want to tell me why the sudden change in outfits?" Temari questions makes me scan Sakura's body. I realize she isn't in her normal feminine ninja attire. No she wore jeans, and a black long sleeved jounin shirt that showed off those curves of her. Ah stop thinking like that!
"Just felt like a change, why does it look bad?"
"No you look stunning." I blurt out not really meaning to. I feel my checks heat up and Sakura flashes me a smile.
"Well you are going to have to do another clothing change because we brought you something." Temari gets up and disappears into the spare room only to reappear holding a black folder shirt. She hands the shirt to Sakura and I smirk as she unfolds it.
"Before we left Suna, I had it made for you. With Tsunade announcing you publicly as Ambassador during the festival I thought it would be a nice gift."
"It's beautiful. Thank you Gaara-kun I love it!" Sakura holds up the shirt to show it off. It was a simple black long sleeve with the Leaf's symbol on the left shoulder and Suna's symbol on the right. On the back we had both symbols enlarged and placed on top of one another, to show our two villages becoming one. The front held no design, but was v-cut.
"You're welcome." I gave her a smile before standing up and making my way into the kitchen. Coffee! Yesterday had been a long day and I knew this one would be even longer and the only thing that could help was coffee.
"You guys must be hungry, why don't we go out to breakfast, my treat."
"You don't have to do that Sakura-chan." Temari says nursing her coffee.
"Nonsense! I know the perfect breakfast spot. I know you guys must be hungry from you journey yesterday. Let me just wake up Kankuro." Sakura jumps off the couch before either of us can protest and rushes into the spare bedroom.
"Have you had the chance to talk to her about the marriage yet?" Temari stands and walks into the kitchen, placing her cup in the sink.
"No I haven't yet. I was waiting until Tsunade and I can talk with her together." I stick one hand in my pocket touching the little black box. Before we left Suna Temari gave me our mother's wedding ring, saying I should use their ring to propose to Sakura-chan. I was taken back by her gesturer because the rings were supposed to go to her. When I asked Temari if she was sure, all she said was mom would have loved Sakura-chan. I gripped the box tighter but quickly pull my hand out of my pocket when Sakura walks back in the room with a half asleep Kankuro following behind her.
As we make our way toward the breakfast shop the weight of the tiny box in my pocket gets heavier and heavier…..
I walked down the street still very pissed off from the night before. I have a splitting headache and the hangover felt like it was never ending. I definitely cannot handle my alcohol like I used to. When I stumbled home last night I got very little sleep before I had to be awake for a morning training session with Sai, Naruto and Yamato.
Yamato had meet me at my apartment this morning in order to talk about the medical file we discovered the other day. But when he showed up and saw how much of a mess I was that topic forgotten about and instead I proceed to tell Yamato what had happened the night before. Yamato was also pissed to know Gaara was in bed with Sakura, and he wanted to skin the Kazekage alive when I told him about the discharged clothes on the floor, and frankly I didn't really care if he did at this point.
"You okay Kakashi?" This was the tenth time he had asked me that since we left our apartment and made our way to the training grounds.
"Hn." Was all I could manage with my heart still being in a million pieces.
"Don't tell me you are giving her up that easily Hatake!" Yamato practically screamed in my ear and my head throbbed at the sudden increase in sound.
"What am I supposed to do? She was in bed with him."
"If you love her as much as I think you do that shouldn't stop you! Fight for her. Show her that she needs a man, not some boy. I know she cares about you Kakashi, just don't give up." Yamato pats my back making me feel a little better. He was right I couldn't give up, not when we were finally getting close again.
"Oye Kakashi-sensei!" I look up and see Sai and Naruto running toward us. Yamato and I stop walking, waiting for them to catch up. "We got tired of waiting! You guys are over two hours late!" Yeah Naruto's yelling was totally helping my hangover.
"Sorry."
"What no excuses? No you got lost on the path of life? Or a black cat crossed your path?" Naruto stared at me for a minute. "Are you alright sensei?"
"Yes, sorry I just had a long night is all." I push my hands in my pocket as we all walk toward the fields. We turned left, taking a short cut to the fields when her pink hair catches my eyes. There is Sakura-chan with the three sand siblings walking toward us. Sakura notices us and begins waving.
"Hey guys!" She runs up to us, leaving the sand ninja behind. I smirk at her choice of actions. That's right run to your team, leave that prick in the dust. She stops right in front of me and sends me a smile. I can feel as my heart puts a couple pieces back together, leaving a warm fuzzy feeling in my chest. "We were just heading to get some breakfast, would you guys like to join?"
Yamato shots me a look not really knowing what he should say. I took one look at her face, and melted at her words. How could I say no to that face? "Of course Sakura, training can wait until later."
I smile as she takes mine and Yamato's hands as she pulls us toward the sand ninja. I couldn't help but let out a knuckle when we reach the restaurant and Naruto pulls Gaara next to him, and Sakura sits in-between Yamato and I. Breakfast was surprisingly nice, Gaara, Naruto, Sai and Kankuro talked about the upcoming Chuin Exams, while Temari and Sakura talked back and forth about what they would be wearing for the festival. Yamato and I would chime in every now and again on both topics.
Gaara paid extra attention to me, especially when I touched Sakura-chan every chance I got. When the food came the talking died down. Everyone was focused on eating, well except for Naruto who was eating and talking at the same time, talking about how he wanted a rematch before Gaara went back home. I looked down on Sakura's plate to notice she barely touched the food, she was just pushing it around on the plate.
I place my hand on Sakura's thigh underneath the table making her turn and lock eyes with me. "Do you not like your food Sakura-chan? We can get you something else or you can have mine if you like."
"Oh no thank you Kakashi-sensei but I'm fine. I'm just not really hungry." A light blush spreads across her checks.
"Sakura-chan you have to eat, especially since you are working long days at the hospital. We can't have our Head Medic passing out now can we." Yamato states elbowing her slightly, making her turn a darker shade of red.
I look over to see Gaara glaring at me from across the table. I simply smile at him and turn my attention back on Sakura-chan who is now eating instead of just pushing her food around.
After we were all done eating Sakura paid the bill, even after Yamato and I insisted we would take care of it. Once outside of the restaurant we went to part our ways when Sakura-chan grabbed my hand. Without saying a word she placed her hand on my forehead and sent her charka through me. Her charka felt so warm, so comforting as it spread throughout my body. I felt my headache lessen.
"Sakura-chan?" I question confused.
"You didn't need to go the whole day with a hangover." She smiles as my hangover lessens and lessens.
"If you knew I had one why didn't you do this sooner?" Why did I have to suffer all throughout breakfast if she could have fixed it as soon as she saw me?
"Because you had to learn a lesson, but I think you have suffered enough." She giggles as she removes her hand from my forward and walks away. I stand in the street star-struck as my cherry fades in the distance. All I could do was smile as I felt her charka still within in, making me feel all warm and fuzzy.
The walk to the Hokage Tower had been quite, too quiet and now I was defiantly on alert. We knocked on the door and Tsunade called us in all too quickly. Now that I was thinking about it the meeting was early, a 10am meeting was unheard of. Tsunade should still be in bed. I walk into the office to find Tsunade and Shizune studying the second version of the treaty.
"M'Lady, Shizune." I bow and the two ladies in front of me look at one other. "Is something the matter?" They are acting strange.
"Sakura-chan there is something we need to talk to you about." Tsunade voice comes out clam and motherly.
"We?" I question.
"There has been an issue with the treaty Sakura-chan." Gaara steps forward and places a hand on my shoulder. I turn and look at the sand siblings behind me. Temari and Kankuro look nervous and refuse to make eye contact. Gaara's eyes are serious, his body langue tense.
"What's wrong?" How could there already be a problem when the feudal lords haven't even had a chance to look at the proposition?
Everyone in the room takes in a deep breath and the tension in the room raises. "The firer lord is stating that our new treaty will not go into effect until you and I marry." His grip on my shoulder tightens. I try to take a deep breath but I discover I can't breathe. I feel as if the wind has been knocked out at me. I look at Gaara waiting for him to say the punch line, for him to tell me he is joking but when it doesn't come I feel a pit developing in my stomach.
"What?" I manage to say after a few long seconds.
"Our feudal lord is threating to void our current treaty if you do not agree to marry Gaara." I turn and face Tsunade. This doesn't make any sense why would the feudal lord demand something like this?
"Sakura-chan." Gaara calls out softly. "My council has agreed to the request." What they have already agreed upon it? Did I not have a say? "I do not want you to feel pressured to say yes, but if our current treaty was to be voided, war would be started."
"All over a marriage?" I tried wrapping my head around it. This made no sense.
"Sakura-chan if the treaty is voided, the councils and lords of both villages will want to go to war. Our streets would turn into battlefields. Our ninja forced to kill one another." Tsunade raises from her desk and walks over to me, but my eyes are still locked on Gaara's.
"Do you want to marry me Gaara?" I ask my heart beating a million beats a second. Did Gaara really want to spend the rest of his life with me, a mess of a shinobi? Did he really want to marry a monster, a killer?
Gaara drops his hand from my shoulder. "Sakura-chan I do have feeling for you. We have been friends for a long time."
My eyes fall to the ground, he dogged the question. Anger boils in my chest, the firer lord would never come up with this idea, not on his own. The request had to come from someone in the Leaf, someone who gained something from it. Danzo! I mentally scream. This fit his fucked up personality to a t.
If I say no our two villages will be at war. There is no way I can sit back and watch as people, people I have grown to care deeply about on both sides, die. All the work I had done over the past three years would have been for nothing. The faces of the genin I've taught flashed through my mind. Their innocence would be taken from them. They would be thrown into battle, not ready, not prepared. My kids would be killed off quickly. I-I couldn't let that happened. I'll die before I let that happen!
"I agree to the proposal. It would be an honor to marry you Kazekage-sam." My eyes scan the room around me. Temari and Kankuro looked relieved, while Tsunade, Shizune and Gaara look in shock. "Was there any of matters you needed to discuss with me?" I wanted to leave, I wanted to run. It took all my will power to stand still in that office. I felt backed into a corner, and my fight or flight instincts were kicking in.
"No. The marriage will be announced at the festival after we announce your new role as Ambassador. The firer lord will be in attendance." Tsunade spoke as if this whole thing had been planned for days. She wasn't going to give me a choice. No, the Hokage knew she had to give up the life of one to save the life of hundreds. She would have dragged me to the alter kicking and screaming if that meant protecting her people. I didn't blame her, I couldn't. If I were Hokage and I only had that option I would've done it to.
"If you will excuse me I must prepare for the festival. Hokage-sama, Kazekage-sama." I go to walk out the door when Gaara grabbed my wrist.
"Sakura-chan we need to talk privately." His voice is still so soft, as if one wrong word would shatter me into a million pieces. Well hate to break it to you Gaara but you can't shatter someone who is already broken. Before he can pull me out of the room I disappear in a whirlwind of cherry blossoms.
Danzo and Fu were in the office talking about the upcoming festival. "We are going to need anbu on every corner. There is to be no issue while the Firer Lord is in attendance." Danzo needed this night to go prefect. The announcement of the marriage would be made, and there would be no way for Sakura to back out of it.
"Understood sir. Are we sure there will be no trouble from Sakura?"
"No-"before Danzo could finish his thought a very pissed off kunoichi appeared in the office, her eyes glowing a bright green. In a flash she moved from the door to Danzo, forcing him up and out of the chair and against the wall. Her forearm pushed against his throat and a kunai pointed at his heart.
"You son of a bitch!" She growled. She was ready to kill Danzo on the spot, she didn't care of the consequence, not anymore.
"So it seems you have finally been notified of your future marriage." He looked at the pissed off girl smirking. She was right where he wanted her. Fu grabbed Sakura by the shoulders and tried to pull her off Danzo, but Sakura had charka running to her feet keeping her in place.
"Why? What do you have to gain with me marrying him and being out of the village?" Sakura studied his face looking for an answer and when he didn't reply it only pissed her off more. "I have done everything you asked of me! I've done terrible horrible things simply because you told me to! Why!" She pushed against his throat tighter.
"Calm down Blossom we wouldn't want Kishimoto getting hurt now would we." Sakura eyes widen at the name. How did he know about Kishimoto? She lowers the kunai and takes a step back, knowing damn well whatever she did to him would be done to Kishimoto. "That's right Blossom we know about your students in Suna, and if you want them to remain unharmed then you will do as I say."
Sakura drops the kunai and her eyes jump between Danzo and Fu trying to figure out what to do. "What is it you want me to do?" She finally asks between gritted teeth. She felt the only way to keep those kids alive were to follow his instructions.
"Simple, when Gaara asks for your hand you will say yes. You will appear happy and be overjoyed. After the proposal you will do whatever Gaara wants with you. Do you understand?"
Sakura nodded her head. Whatever Gaara wants? That could only mean one thing. If Gaara wanted to sleep with her he could, she couldn't tell him no. That pit in Sakura's stomach only grew and Sakura now felt dead inside. She felt as if she had no control over her life. She felt helpless and useless. She felt as if she was that same thirteen year old genin all over again. Sakura looked at Danzo once more before she disappeared from the room.
"Well that went better than I expected." Fu let out a breath. He wanted to scream Wilted Blossom the moment she appeared in the office. He knew if there was a fair fight between Sakura and Fu and Danzo, Sakura would be the winner. She could take down both of them. The only thing that gave Fu and Danzo a fighting chance was the curse mark.
"Children are her weak spot. She would do almost anything to prevent the bloodshed of a child." Danzo sat back in his desk and rearranged the paperwork Sakura had messed up when she lunged at him. This plan was coming along perfectly. Once Sakura had a child of her own, she would be completely under his control. If she was willing to give up her life for a child from another village, he could only imagine what she would do for her own child.
An evil smile spread across Fu's face. If Sakura refused to sleep with Gaara, he already had a plan. The orange haired Yamanaka was very skilled at the mind-transfer jutsu and he was not above using it to get exactly what he wanted.
"Like I was saying there will be anbu stationed around the village." Danzo and Fu refocus on the festival, both knowing Sakura would follow through the plan without fail.
I entered the meeting pissed. I had spent the last couple hours searching for Sakura so we could talk before the meeting but I wasn't able to find her. I needed to talk with her. I wanted to explain why I hadn't told her this request was made and why Tsunade and I were not giving her a choice. I wanted to explain to her that I loved her, and had wanted to marry her long before the demand was made. But she left the office before I could even see if she was okay. Why was she being so formal with me in the office? That look she gave me before leaving…it look like she had lost all trust in me.
I took my seat trying to shake the feeling that I just ruined my friendship with Sakura. The elders and Danzo were already in the room. One look at Danzo and my blooded boiled. I had to fight the urge to get up and trap him in a sand coffin for what he had done to Sakura-chan all these years. Tsunade and Shizune sat across from me, but there was still no sign of Sakura-chan. Kankuro and Temari took their seats next to me and Temari shot me a nervous glance.
When the meeting started and Sakura hadn't shown up I became very concerned. It was hard to focus as Tsunade read out loud the treaty making sure both parties agreed to the terms. Tsunade had been reading the treaty for thirty minutes when someone knocked on the door. "Come in." Tsunade orders as she sets the treaty down, clearly pissed to have been interrupted. The door opens and Sakura walks in. She looked physically drained. "Why are you late?" Tsunade asks eyeing Sakura.
"After I left the office I went to the hospital to check on a patient I received yesterday. While checking his vitals, another ninja was brought in, in critical condition. I've been in surgery." I take a closer look at Sakura and notice the blood on her black shirt. Sakura-chan had her hair pulled back in a messy ponytail. She looked so tired.
"Why did you not come sooner? Or send word that you were running late?" Danzo asks, speaking for the first time since the meeting started.
Sakura stands straighter, her hands falling to the stem on her pants, her thumb aligned with the seam, before replying. "The ninja was in critical condition, losing a lot of blood. I had no choice but to jump into surgery right away. I did not have time to call for a messenger." I was amazed to watch Sakura shift moods when talking with Danzo. She automatically fell into a soldier's stance without a second thought, even though she was in front of us. It was clear that Danzo had a grip on her. He molded her into this perfect solider and she acted as such.
"That is no excuses Haruno. This is an important meeting. Your absence is inexcusable! You should have-"
"It's alright." I call out cutting Danzo off. He didn't need to lecture her for her tardiness. "It's perfectly understandable why you are late."
"I agree. I have missed many meetings myself because I had been too busy at the hospital to step away." Sakura's eyes were still locked on Danzo's. "Now Sakura please take a seat so we can continue." Sakura nods and takes her place next to Tsunade. Tsunade begins reading the treaty again. Sakura kept her eyes locked on her copy of the treaty and refused to look at everyone in the room.
After a couple of hours, Tsunade had finally finished reading the treaty. Tsunade and I had both verbally agreed to the conditions of the treaty and where about to sign the bottom of it when Danzo interjected.
"The segment on the children needs to be revised. Our two countries should not trade training techniques with one another." I watch as Sakura balls her fists.
"I do not object to the segment. Our children are the future of our villages. Why would we not train and prepare them to the best of our abilities?" I question, not waiting to omit that section.
"While we are allies now, who is to say we will be in the future. I must put the people of the Leaf before anyone else. Sharing information in regards to training could potentially compromise the safety of this village, which is something I will not allow." Danzo answer pissed me off. Sakura and I had worked too hard on this segment for it just to be tossed out.
"The children in both villages will be safeguard and protected no matter if war in started between us. I have already begun to train the children in the Sand, in the same way we train our students here. I have already visited our Academy and advised on additional teachings I have seen used in Suna. To void this segment would be pointless because it has already been put into effect." Sakura's comment quickly silences Danzo.
"Who gave you permission to release Leaf secrets?" The female elder questions clearly pissed she knew nothing about this.
"I did." I turn and look at Tsunade. "When I appointed her Ambassador I gave her my blessing to take any action necessary to strength the bond between our two villages. When she asked about the training, I couldn't think of a better way to bond than training together as one." Tsunade glares at the elders.
"The whole point of creating a new treaty is to ensure the Will of Fire is protected. By voiding this section, we subject our children to be weaker than those from other countries. How can we expect our genin and chuin to defend themselves properly if we do not give them every resource we have available. We will fail our ninja if we withheld this newly found resource. I will not sit back and allow our children's future to be comprised simply because you refuse to share training techniques."
"I have to agree with Sakura. I agree to the segment. The segment will remain." Tsunade reaches over and signs the treaty and then hands it to me. I place my signature underneath Tsunade's. With our signatures all that was left was to send a final copy to both feudal lords and have them sign it. Then once Sakura and I weed, the treaty will go into effect.
Once we signed the elders and Danzo left the room clearly upset that they did not get their way. Sakura lets out a breath, and leans back in the chair closing her eyes.
"When did you start sharing information with Suna and the acadecemy?" Tsudane asks. So Tsudanse had not given Sakura permission.
"I haven't yet." Sakura answers, her eyes still closed.
"Then why did you say you already did?" Kankuro asks confused.
"Because if I hadn't he would have voided the segment or convinced the feudal lord to challenge it. Now he will no neither because he believes it has already been done." She opens her eyes and stands up. "Now if you excuse me."
She goes to walk out of the room but I stand and block her way. "Sakura-chan we need to talk."
"Lord Gaara, there is nothing to talk about. We will begin to plan the wedding after the announcement at the festival. Until then I am needed elsewhere." Sakura pushes pass me and walks out of the room. Temari and Kankuro looked crushed, this wasn't how we wanted Sakura to take the news.
"What are you waiting for? Go after her Gaara!" Temari yells. I stare at my sister for a moment before I am out the door running down the hall looking for Sakura-chan. I find her walking down the stairs. I appear in front of her, once again blocking her path.
"Sakura, please we need to talk." I reach out to touch her but she grabs my hand.
"Please refrain from touching me Lord Kazekage. Like I stated earlier, we can discuss matters after the festival. Now please move out of my way." She releases my hand and it drops to my side. Sakura has never acted this way to me and I have no idea what to do. My heart breaks as she moves to the side and continues to walk down the stairs. All I can do is watch as my love walks away from me.
What have I done…