A/N: I do not own Naruto!

Jade locked with emerald as they stared each other down. Both were breathing heavy, both were covered in sweat, and both had a fire in their eyes that burned at the other. Teeth clenched in a masculine jaw while bright emerald eyes narrowed dangerously on their adversary. Neither was willing to back down…neither willing to admit defeat or take responsibility for what was currently taking place. Between them, what used to be training grounds in Sunagakure was now nothing more than a decimated field of rubble. As they glared across the desolate expanse, the wind blew slightly, blowing a scent across both their senses. The glaring male's eyes narrowed and he hissed, regarding the glaring female.

"Stop this nonsense, Sakura. I will not be so understanding should this continue." The glaring female made a noise, her frown deepening, her brow creasing, and her eyes snapping fire.

"Nonsense?! Understanding?! Since when have you been understanding about anything that has happened since you put this ring on my finger?!" She growled angrily. The jade eyes of the male flickered to her hand before looking back up at her. Several emotions swirled through their jade depths. But it seems the woman wasn't finished. "If anyone is being irrational, Kazekage, it's you." She hissed and pointed her glove encased digit towards the red headed male. She noticed his scowl deepen but she didn't back down. The redhead noticed and stiffened.

"How am I being irrational? I caught you red handed, Sakura! I saw you kissing your assistant!" Sakura's arm dropped and she clenched her fists at her sides. Gaara was about to say more when he stopped, the scent of salt reaching his nose. He knew there were traces of salt here in the desert, but nothing this strong close by. It was then he realized there were tears in Sakura's eyes. He could see her trembling.

"That boy was having an allergic reaction to the lunch he was brought by the mother of a patient whose life he saved. I wasn't kissing him, I was performing CPR." Gaara's eyes widened in shock. His mind clouded over as he tried to think back.

-+-Flashback-+-

Six weeks ago…

Gaara blushed as the nurses and medics at the hospital smiled at him, greeting him warmly. He'd come here every day since he'd brought Sakura back with him. He'd proposed to her in front of Naruto, who had agreed to allow Sakura to leave the village and go to Suna to be with Gaara. She would have dual citizenship, but she would be identified as a Suna shinobi. As he approached the office Sakura had been awarded by the head of medical staff, he heard her voice from the inside. She sounded upset about something. Deciding not to disturb her, but wanting to see what was causing her such upset, he put two fingers to his eye and whispered.

He stiffened slightly when he noticed Sakura inside her office, glaring across her desk at a male who was maybe just a few years older than the both of them. She was pointing at him, then at something on her desk. While he could not hear what she was saying, he could read her lips. This man had been caught doing something inappropriate with a patient. And it was not his first offense. Gaara noticed something in the man's eyes that he did not like, so he dispersed his jutsu and walked up to the door, opening it and glaring outright at the man standing before his woman.

"You were warned on multiple occasions before Haruno-san's appointment to this office that your behavior was unacceptable, Hinyeki-san. I do not know what incident has prompted this meeting, but whatever Haruno-san's decision is in this, you will abide by it, is that understood?" The older male stiffened before looking down at the floor and nodding. Sakura looked up at Gaara, appreciation in her eyes.

-+-Memory Fade-+-

Four weeks ago…

"Gaara, can you come here a moment?" Gaara looked over his shoulder at the woman sitting at his desk. She'd taken to retreating there, with him, instead of going back to his house. Seems Temari was constantly trying to play wedding planner. His jade eyes roved over his intended. She was just as lovely as the day he'd woken to find her staring down at him, tears in her eyes. He snapped out of his thoughts when he noticed her looking up at him, curiosity on her face. He moved towards her, silent as ever.

He looked down at his desk when her hands splayed there. Before her were six files, all promising medical nin from his village. He arched a brow as his lovely bride-to-be sighed. "I don't know what to do, Gaara. Each one has promise…potential…but which one should I chose as my assistant?" He noticed how young these people looked…much like they had years ago. There was an eagerness in their faces that even the flat surface of a picture could not dampen.

"Is there one that stands out to you…one with exceptional skill or something unique about their abilities?" He noticed her pause before her hand slid over to a young man, maybe four to six years their junior.

"This boy has a special gift with patients. It was noted that four out of five patients were calmer in his presence. Children flock to him, the elderly adore him, and the staff can't say enough good about him. He has a natural healing ability that rivals some of the medics in ANBU and his chakra control is very fluid." He noticed her interest, but there was something holding her back. He leaned in and nuzzled her, making her smile.

"But?" He noticed her sigh and lean her head against his as she looked over the candidates.

"He's young, he's popular with the nurses and other med nins, and I'm afraid he'll end up just like Hinyeki. It's taken me this long just to narrow the pool down to these six. Replacing Hinyeki hasn't been easy and there has been a lot of tension between myself and other medics at the hospital because of it." Gaara turned her so that she was now looking up at him.

"Sakura, you caught Hinyeki molesting unconscious female patients in the long term care wing. You followed protocol and reported him. You did nothing wrong." He noticed her sigh and cup her forehead in her hand.

"Then why does it feel like the Residency Manager is punishing me by making me find my own assistant amid thousands of applicants?" She groaned and leaned back into Gaara. The redhead chuckled and shook his head.

"Because Zaela-san trusts you to make the best decision. Like you said, Hinyeki was popular with not just the nurses and Med nins, but with many of the woman employed at the hospital. It would be easy for him to manipulate them to do his will." He noticed her smile up at him and sigh, leaning into him once more.

"You sure know how to put a girl's mind at ease, don't you, Gaara?" He noticed the teasing in her eyes and he gave her a mock glare before smiling and leaning in, kissing her gently.

"Only you, Sakura." He whispered against her lips.

-+-Memory Fade-+-

Two weeks ago…

Gaara noticed Sakura walking through the hospital, her assistant hot on her heels. She seemed rigid; angry about something. He watched as her assistant nervously trailed her. He looked slightly guilty about something. Perhaps it was his fault for Sakura's mood? He decided to watch them.

"S-Sakura-sensei, I…I'm sorry…I didn't mean to overstep my boundaries." Gaara noticed Sakura turn on her assistant, her demeanor one of intense anger.

"Todashi, do you know why I picked you out of the thousands of candidates presented to me for this position?" Gaara arched a brow at the near stricken look apprentice gave master.

"N-No ma'am, but I'm thankful every day of my life that you did…" Gaara noticed Sakura's eyes soften slightly before she closed her eyes.

"I chose you because you remind me of someone special. You overcame immense odds to get where you are. I can respect that." Gaara frowned. This boy was special to Sakura? When had that happened? He decided to wait and watch. "You are an incredible young man Todashi and I can see you going far in the medical field. I want you to succeed, to surpass me, just like my master wanted for me. But you will not do that with an attitude like you just displayed."

Gaara watched the young man's eyes drop to the floor, as if ashamed. "I-I'm sorry, Sakura-sensei. I let my emotions get the better of me. I apologize." Gaara noticed his petite mate sigh and shake her head.

"Look, Gaara and I will be leaving tonight. We put off our honeymoon so that you wouldn't be left without training." Gaara arched a brow. He'd thought the hospital was too busy for her to leave right after their wedding. He kept quiet as he watched his wife regard her assistant with a critical stare. "I want this issue fixed by the time we get back. If you can manage that, then I won't report this incident to the RM, or more importantly, to my husband." Gaara noticed the young man blanch before he bowed his head.

"Right away, Sakura-sensei! I will not let you down, I swear it!" He watched as Sakura sighed and nodded, turning away from her assistant and walking towards her office. He stood and watched her assistant try and collect himself before lifting his chin and walking back towards where they'd come. He decided not to broach the issue unless Sakura brought it up.

-+-Memory Fade-+-

This afternoon…

Gaara had decided to have lunch with his young wife. Things had been getting tense between them as Gaara feared she was keeping secrets from him. He'd not said anything to her, wanting her to confide in him, but she seemed unwilling to discuss work at home. He had just walked past the nurse's station when he heard a thud. Panic tore through him and he raced to his wife's office. When he threw open the door, he could see Sakura kneeling over her assistant, her lips pressed to his.

Jealousy ripped through him immediately. So this is what she spent her lunch time doing? Carrying on with another man? A cry of pain and anger ripped from his throat, causing Sakura's head to snap up, their eyes meeting. Panic was shining deep from inside those emerald orbs. "Gaara!" Anger whipped through him and he disappeared, his sand encasing him and taking him…anywhere but there. He reappeared near the exit of the hospital, walking right out of a cloud of sand. He noticed nurses and other medical personnel clamoring to get out of his way, but anger seethed deep inside him.

He was marching back to his home, intent packing her things and kicking her out, when he heard his name being called. "Gaara!" He turned and pain suddenly slammed into him when he noticed she was chasing after him. She was running towards him, tears streaming down her face. The image of her kneeling over her young assistant, their lips pressed together, suddenly superimposed itself in his mind's eye and he screamed, gripping his head. Sand erupted all around them as his pain swallowed him. He watched Sakura as she yelled his name, but he didn't care anymore…he just wanted the pain in his heart to stop.

He lifted his hand, bringing her close to him, his eyes bloodshot with anger and betrayal. He noticed confusion in her eyes and when she reached for him, he snarled and leapt away from her. He noticed intense hurt light her features and she whispered his name. He growled and glared at her. "I should have known it was never real. None of it. Not a damn thing." He hissed. He noticed her gasp and stare at him, as if just realizing what was going on.

"Gaara, you don't understand, it's not what it looked like!" He could hear the pleading in her voice, but all he could feel was the blackness of betrayal. He whipped his arm to the side, sending her flying, her scream ripped from her as he threw her with his sand. He was about to continue his march home when the earth suddenly opened up beneath him. He jumped, barely dodging the fall into the deep crack. When he looked up, he noticed the crack was stemming from the old training grounds. With a growl, he darted towards where he now knew his wife had landed.

He arrived, only to see a large crater with his petite little wife standing in the middle. There was rubble everywhere and, if his nose wasn't mistaken, she was bleeding. He felt his heart lurch and that just angered him all the more. She'd practically ripped his heart out and it still bothered him she was bleeding. He looked up when he heard a choked sob and then she lifted her head and he gasped. Her eyes were no longer the beautiful emerald he'd grown accustomed to, but rather a vibrant, intimidating shade of emerald. He noticed her eyes light on him and pain jolted through him at the hurt, the betrayal, deep in her eyes. Tears were cascading down her cheeks at a steady rate until she threw her head back and screamed. To be honest, it was more of a wail; a wail of pain, betrayal, heartache, and hopelessness.

He felt, rather than saw, the raw power in the noise emitting from her and shook his head, slightly dizzy. And then he had to throw up a barrier of sand as his wife launched herself at him, her anger and pain tangible as she made contact with his sand. He kept blocking her devastating attacks, each rattling him more than the last. But then, she suddenly stopped. He noticed her look down before her hand went to her stomach. He noticed her cringe and he took the time to study her. Something was off. Something was wrong with her.

-+-End Flashbacks-+-

"C…P…R…?" Gaara was dumbfounded. She'd been performing CPR on her assistant because he'd stopped breathing. That's why she'd been kneeling over him. He gasped as he remembered the boy's shirt had been cut open, not removed as would be the case if they'd been having a steamy interlude. His eyes widened and he looked at his hands…hands that had harmed his beloved wife.

"Yes, Gaara, CPR. You'd have known that if you had stuck around when I needed you the most." He looked up when Sakura hissed at him, her tears falling down her cheeks once more. He noticed her hand once more on her stomach and he blinked. Was she hurt? Had he seriously injured her in his jealous rage?

"I…I thought…" He noticed Sakura's eyes gentle when he looked up, pain and confusion and guilt in his eyes. She looked away from him, her arms crossing over her chest.

"I wondered why Zaela-san was asking me how you were when you hadn't been to see me. You were spying on me, weren't you?" He looked down, shame coloring his face. He closed his eyes and dropped to his knees before the Konoha native.

"I…I did not want to interrupt you. But…I had to see you. I can't stand being apart from you…" He confessed. He noticed her sandaled feet in the sand before him and he looked up, misery in his eyes. "But you kept secrets from me. You didn't confide in me…didn't trust me enough to tell me what was going on…so I thought…" He looked down and away, unwilling to let her see just how much that lack of trust hurt him. He heard her sigh and then she lowered herself to the sand before him.

"Gaara…you have enough to worry about without having to worry about every little thing going on at the hospital. So I decided to handle the issue on my own. It resolved itself without further incident, so I didn't think you needed to be bothered with it." He gasped and looked straight into her soft emerald eyes. She'd been worried about him, that's why she hadn't come to him with whatever had been happening. He clenched his eyes shut and shook his head.

"I've been a fool…" He clenched his fists in the sand beneath him. He'd been so worried about her lack of trust in him that he hadn't even realized how much his trust was lacking. He tensed when he felt her gentle hands easing his clenched jaw. He chanced a look at her and noticed her eyes were soft, gentle, and loving.

"Gaara, you have only recently understood what love really is. You can't blame yourself for every mistake you make in regards to something you've never known before." He put his hand overtop hers, his fingers sliding down until they gently encircled her wrist. He yelped when her eye twitched and she suddenly pinched his cheek and pulled it out slightly in punishment. "And you should always come to me if you have concerns. I would never lie to you." He stared at her as she released his cheek and leaned in, kissing it gently.

"Besides, Todashi idolizes you. He would never do anything that would hurt you, directly or indirectly. You have a lot in common with one another. He reminds me of you, actually." Gaara's eyes widened at that. So, when she'd told Todashi he reminded her of someone special, she'd been referring to…he sighed and leaned into her, his head resting against her shoulder.

"I have been such a fool, Sakura. I was jealous of the attention you showed that child…I really am a mon-" He stopped short when Sakura put her fingers to his lips, pushing him back to glare at him.

"You are not a monster, any more than Todashi is a monster. His mother died in childbirth with him, just as yours did. His father called him a monster his whole life, just like yours did. And neither of you are any more of a monster than I am. Your fathers…they were the monsters." She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him to her. He sighed and soaked up her love, allowed it to heal him like a balm on the burns his jealousy had caused. He felt her playing with the hair on the back of his neck and he sighed, pulling her closer to him. He arched a brow when her hand went back to her stomach and she gasped. It was then he was reminded of the possibility he'd seriously hurt her. He jerked up and looked down at her, his eyes worried.

"Kami-sama, Sakura, are you alright?!" The panic in his eyes made her laugh out loud and shake her head.

"I'm fine, Gaara." He noticed her blush, but she was smiling. He regarded her intently, which only made her squirm more. "Well, there is one small detail I left out." He noticed her bite her lip and look at her hands. "From what you've said, you overheard the argument Todashi and I had, ne?" He blinked several times before nodding. Sakura took his hand and rubbed her thumbs over his hand, one over his own thumb, the other over his pinkie finger. "Well, the reason Todashi and I were arguing is because he called me out in front of a patient…" Gaara's eyes widened. Her assistant was lucky he hadn't been clobbered.

"What did he call you out on?" Sakura bit her lip again and sighed, resting his hand in her lap.

"Well, the patient we were seeing at the time was a young woman who was engaged to one man but carrying the baby of another. She didn't want her fiancé to know the child wasn't his, so she asked if I would botch the records for her. When I refused, she asked if I would abort the baby for her. I refused to do that also, as abortion is illegal in Suna. I recommended she come clean with her fiancé and explain the situation." He nodded and waited for her to continue. She blushed and looked down, as if his hand was the most interesting thing she'd ever seen.

"Sakura…" His tone was gentle yet authoritative. She sighed and closed her eyes.

"As we were walking out the room, Todashi asked me why I would give advice I, myself, do not follow." Gaara blinked several times. Okay, they'd already established that Sakura hadn't been cheating on him, so what could have brought such a comment on from her assistant. He noticed Sakura worrying her lip, not just biting it now. When she looked up, there was deeply buried fear in her eyes. "Todashi's abilities were more than I ever imagined. Just by brushing past me to get some files for me, he found out I was pregnant." She whispered and quickly looked down. Gaara sat there, shocked. Sakura, his Sakura, was pregnant. That could only mean that…

"I'm going to be a father…" Gaara whispered in shocked awe. Sakura nodded and looked up at him, slightly nervous.

"I…I wanted to wait…to tell you…just in case…just in case I wasn't able to carry successfully…I didn't…want to get your hopes up…" He looked at Sakura, who had her hand on her stomach, and ice went up his spine. He'd treated her roughly, even thrown her with his sand. He gasped and lurched towards her and she allowed him.

"I didn't hurt our baby, did I?" Sakura smiled and shook her head.

"I'm only three weeks. My body protects the baby this early in the pregnancy." He noticed the teasing look on her face and he ran his hands all over her body, assuring himself she was okay. She smiled and leaned in, kissing him.

"There's no reason to be jealous, my love, not ever. I am yours, now and always." He leaned into her kiss, his hand resting on her stomach. She'd given him the greatest gifts he could ask for: her love and their child.