Whirlwind
Chapter Thirteen
-Operation Day Nine: Surprises-
Temari couldn't believe that all her plans were slowly slipping through the cracks. All that preparation! Well, she wasn't one to sit by and let everything fall apart. The blonde stared at the mansion with nothing but determination, two bags in her hand. It was time to drag Sakura out of that house, whether she was willing or not. She fished the key to the house from her kunai holster and unlocked the door. She went inside, set the plastic bags down, noting the dust and darkness that seemed to be everywhere. "Sakura?" Temari called loudly, walking around the house once before heading up the stairs.
"Sakura!" she yelled again, stopping in front of the room she knew Sakura was staying. She raised her fist and pounded on the door at least ten times. "SAKURA! GET UP!" Temari thrust the door open and stormed in, ready to tackle the depressed pink haired girl. But the room was empty. The wind ninja glanced around and saw nothing. The bed was made, and the room was neat, almost as if it had been vacant for days.
She put her hands on her hips and let out an annoyed huff. "Where could she be?" she wondered aloud, exiting the room. She stopped in the hall and looked off to her left. Gaara's room was at the end of the hall. Her eyes narrowed as her suspicion rose. Sakura couldn't be…could she? With a daring thought Temari stalked down the hall, pushed Gaara's door open, and looked inside. "Sakura?" she asked.
What she saw almost broke her heart. Sakura was curled on the bed, holding a pillow tightly to her chest. Temari couldn't control her steaming anger. This was all Gaara's fault! How could he disappear without a word and leave Sakura to wallow in her misery? How irresponsible of the Kazekage! He had been gone for two days now, and Sakura had only gotten worse!
She walked over to the bedside and sat down beside the lifeless girl, resting her hand on her side. "Sakura please get up, remember what tonight is. We're going to the banquet."
But the girl didn't give any response, simply remaining unmoving.
"Come on Sakura, let's get you something to eat." Temari sighed, pulling her friend with her. Sakura didn't fight, but the blonde felt the dead weight as soon as they stood. After a long trial and error process of getting Sakura into the kitchen, she began setting some of Sakura's favorite foods in front of her. There was a bowl of strawberries, some bananas, and a slice of chocolate cake.
"Now Sakura you need to get some food into your little shriveled stomach. It looks like you haven't eaten since dinner three nights ago." The blonde said.
Sakura simply stared at the table, motionless. The sand shinobi moved closer to her friend and took one of the bananas from the bunch. She peeled away the protective layer and broke apart the soft fruit. "Now eat Sakura." Temari ordered, basically shoving the banana down the medic's throat. Sakura chewed slowly every now and then, swallowing a bit easier every time.
Finally, when all the fruit was gone, the blonde pushed a piece of chocolate cake in front of her, knowing that it was one of Sakura's favorite desserts. Green emeralds finally focused on the cake. Her eyes began to water, the horrible memories of the night Gaara had left coming back swiftly. Temari went wide eyed and wrapped her arms tightly around her friend.
"Gaara!" Sakura sobbed, the tears streaming down her face.
Temari pulled Sakura up and helped her back upstairs, "Sakura you really need to pull yourself together." She ordered, dragging Sakura through Gaara's room and into his bathroom. Without any shame, the blonde began pulling off Sakura's clothing, noticing that the clothes she was wearing were not hers, but Gaara's.
"Ok Sakura, you really need to snap out of this, because now it's just creepy." She said, shoving Sakura into the large shower. "Now clean yourself, or will I have to do that for you too?"
Sakura gave no answer, and, regrettably, Temari had to shower the pink haired woman as well. Giving her hair a thorough wash and rinse, she pulled the pink haired zombie out and wrapped a fluffy red towel around her body. "Sakura, we're going to get nice and pretty for tonight alright? Forget about Gaara and have fun with your friends. How about that? Huh? Can you smile?" the blonde asked hopefully, "for me?"
The Konoha medic didn't even look at her. She sighed and sat Sakura down on the bed. Temari dried her off and then attempted to dry her hair as well. "You sit here while I get ready." With that Temari went down stairs, picked up the two bags from the living room, and brought them back up. Sakura was still sitting motionless on the bed, with nothing but a towel over her.
Temari gave her a sad look and went into the bathroom for awhile, and when she emerged she was dressed in a long, strapless black dress. There was a slit up the left side all the way to her hip, and underneath she had thigh high black boots on tipped with lace.
She reached into the other bag and pulled out a beautiful white dress. When she saw it in the store window she knew she had to get it for her best friend. By now Sakura's hair had dried, so Temari took a brush and raked it through her pink locks. The tangles now gone, she gave it a small fix, pulled her up, and slid the dress on her friend with much difficulty. "You owe me big for this."
Sakura's dress was strapless, a straight cut across her chest. It was tight on top and then flowed freely at the base. There was one sleeve on the left side, slit all the way to where it connected with the dress, and it hung just below the shoulder. Rimming the top of the dress was a gold metal band that branched out across the left shoulder, and underneath the bust, intertwined with black stones. There was a necklace to match the intricate gold, which also branched to the left, appearing as if it was connected to the dress.
Temari pulled a golden clip from the bag and brushed Sakura's hair back, pinning half of her pink tresses up in the barrette. Once she was finished with her hair, she started on her makeup, keeping it nice and simple. The blonde stepped back and admired her work. With the exception of the lifeless look in Sakura's eyes, she was stunning.
"Alright Sakura. It's time to go," she took the girl's hand and grabbed a small black lace fan. Temari ushered her friend to the door and finally to the stairs, looking back at the pink haired beauty, she said, "You really do look beautiful."
As they descended the stairs Temari came to a halt, wide eyed and staring off into the living room. There, standing by the front door, was Gaara, in a tux, sharp and clean cut.
Suddenly, Temari's face met the wall, and she saw Sakura run past her and into her brother's arms.
Sakura wasn't really thinking about what she had done to her friend, only one thought present in her mind right now. He was here. Slamming her body into his, she hugged him in a fierce grip. Immediately, tears began to fall down her face. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean what I said!" she cried, praying that he would forgive her.
Gaara didn't know what to do at first, but his body seemed to move on its own, as his arms wrapped tightly around her. He pressed his face into her hair and breathed in her sweet scent. "It's alright…" he muttered, "You look…absolutely beautiful Sakura."
"Sakura! Don't ruin your makeup over that jerk!" Temari yelled from behind her.
Gaara looked up, keeping his chin on Sakura's head, and glared threateningly at her. But she wasn't afraid of him. She just rolled her eyes and huffed, crossing her arms tenaciously.
Ignoring Temari's comment, Sakura lifted her head, and examined his face. Reaching a hand up, she stroked his cheek tenderly, slowly tracing the tiredness beneath his eye with her thumb. "Please don't ever leave me again." She begged, giving him a searching look.
He let his forehead rest against hers, "I promise Sakura…that as long as you wish it, I will be here." He pledged.
She sighed, content, now that she was where she belonged. "Where did you even go?"
Gaara looked over her head, thinking back on the time he had spent for the past two days.
Two days ago…
Gaara appeared in the dark dungeon, sitting down in a meditative pose. Dark eyes lifted from their spot on the floor to the visitor that had come to see him. But the redhead said nothing. Instead, he closed his jade eyes, and tried not to think back on what had just happened. His world had shattered, just like stepping on ice and falling through.
He had tried to apologize to Sakura, not meaning to hurt her or her feelings. He felt lonely and isolated, and wanted nothing to do with anyone, which was why he had come here the this person's cell. The only person in the whole village oblivious to what was going on in his life. Uchiha Sasuke.
Nothing was said on the first day, only silence. Gaara stayed completely motionless as time passed, until finally, on the night of the second day, Sasuke spoke to him."What do you want?"
At this Gaara's eyes opened slowly and he looked angrily up at the prisoner. Sasuke surprisingly didn't look threatening, instead genuine curiosity on his face. The redhead leaned forward and rested his face in his hands. "Uchiha…Sakura told me to leave her, and I don't know why." He finally admitted.
The dark haired boy looked astonished, the news shocking even him. Sabaku no Gaara was admitting that something bothered him. And, surprisingly enough, it was about his own ex-teammate. "I don't know what you want me to say Sabaku."
Gaara stood up slowly, keeping his eyes locked on Sasuke. "Tell me of Sakura. I thought that her and I…I thought we were friends, and then she does something like this."
"Something you need to understand about Sakura," Sasuke replied without even realizing it. "Is that she says things she doesn't mean. All the time. Especially when she's upset."
The redhead took this into consideration, knowing very well that he said things he did not mean all the time as well. But it seemed odd that other people would do it too. After all, he was very abnormal.
"I still don't understand. I gave her what she wanted and she still told me to leave. I just…don't understand…"he repeated, still seeming lost.
Sasuke sighed and leaned forward. "Look Sabaku, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Do you want to know the reason I never fell for Sakura and stayed with her? Or the reason I left my village?"
Gaara crossed his arms tightly over his chest, remaining silent. Taking this as a yes, Sasuke continued. "Because I don't care about anyone but myself. Putting other people first was never something I did, my only focus being myself and my cause. That is the difference between us. Now go away. I'm tired of looking at you."
The Kazekage looked down, repeating the words in his head. Of course, friendship was about putting others first and only caring for their needs before your own. He wanted to put Sakura first, he wanted her needs to be met. Amazingly enough, talking to Uchiha Sasuke was exactly what Gaara needed. Without another word he turned his back to his enemy and disappeared in a whirlwind of sand.
"Nowhere," he spoke softly and rested his head on hers once more.
Huffing once more, Temari interrupted their interlude. "Can we go now? The banquet is going to start soon, and you have to make a big entrance Gaara."
Gaara laughed, straightening up and looking down at the striking girl. "Only if Sakura will accompany me."
She smiled in response. "If that is what you wish, I would be more than happy to go with you, as long as you stay in my sight the whole night."
"Of course m'lady." He bowed graciously, and something inside of him clicked. He was warm now, instead of the deathly cold he had felt for the past two days. He offered his hand to her, and she courteously set hers on his so he could escort her. Temari rolled her eyes at the two, taking the lead and opening her fan to hide her annoyed look.
"Come on already, chop, chop." She barked, walking out the front door. Gaara and Sakura followed. When they reached the one of the largest and most luxurious hotels in Suna, the blonde led them to the side entrance so they wouldn't be seen. Their surroundings looked like an area for a stage crew, and only then did the duo realize they were going to be introduced on one.
"Well this won't be awkward." Gaara sighed, looking gallingly at his sister.
"Humor me." She said with a smirk.
They heard their names being announced, and then the curtains were drawn.
"SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAKURA!" the entire room cheered.
The loud noise and 'attack' from their spectators forced Gaara into defensive mode. He grabbed Sakura and pulled her against him, the sand surrounding its master rose instantaneously, creating a barrier between them and the crowd.
Temari was wide eyed back stage and then hit her palm to her forehead. "Stupid Gaara." The whole crowd went silent and Gaara felt truly embarrassed.
"Um…sorry." He said.
Sakura laughed for the first time in days. "Wow Gaara, I didn't know you thought of all these people as a threat. Or were you just worried about me?" she asked, quirking a brow.
"So…Temari!" he turned away from Sakura and glared at his hiding sister. She walked out and waved to everyone, who immediately began clapping again. "You decided to trick me and go behind my back?"
The blonde rolled her eyes, keeping her face happy and laughing for the guests. "It was Sakura's birthday, and I wanted to surprise her. You would have told her anyways."
"True." He admitted with a shrug.
"Well go on you two," Temari said, shoving them both down the steps and into the crowd. "Have a fun party! Get something to eat, mingle, whatever!"
As they reached the floor, and were greeted by the guests, and Gaara noticed something odd. Temari had said this was a black and white party, yet the only one he could tell who was wearing white was Sakura. "Um Sakura," he leaned down to try and whisper to her, but was interrupted by one of the officials.
"Happy birthday Sakura-sama," he gave her a small bow, taking her hand and kissing it tenderly. "You look exquisite this evening." He turned to Gaara and bowed once more. "Kazekage-sama, your companion is exceedingly beautiful, my congratulations." He nodded to the two and walked off.
"Um…" Gaara trailed off, a confused look on his face. "What?"
Sakura leaned towards him. "I believe he just complimented you. Or was it me?" shaking her head to clear the confusion, she changed the subject. "Let's go find the others." She said, dragging him to the opposite side of the room, where she spotted a flash of bright yellow.
Said boy waved her over with a smile. "Happy birthday Sakura-chan! You look great!"
"You don't look too bad yourself Naruto. You actually clean up really well." She chuckled.
He popped his collar, face full of self confidence. "Well I had to look good, otherwise I would embarrass Hinata-chan over here."
Behind him stood Hinata, who wore a simple, yet elegant black floor length dress. It had thin black straps, and lace lining the top. "Hinata you look beautiful!" Sakura exclaimed.
"Doesn't she? Am I the luckiest guy to have a girl like her as my date or what?" the blonde asked, wrapping his arm around her waist. Hinata blushed at his question. Temari had told them that they could either bring a date, or come alone and try to meet someone. When she told them this, Naruto simply announced that Hinata would go with him, leaving the ebony haired girl no room to argue. Not that she would have.
"That you are Naruto." Looking around, Sakura couldn't find the one person she wanted to see most. "Where's Ino?"
The fox boy shrugged. "Who knows? Probably off with Kiba in some corner doing I don't want to know."
"Well Naruto, glad to know that's what you think I do in my free time, I'll keep that in mind." The pale blonde's whimsical voice came from behind the group. Ino wore a tight black floor length dress as well. It was strapless, with a low open back that laced across her shoulder blades. There was a large slit up to her upper thigh, string lacing there as well. Her arm was looped with Kiba's, who was wearing a tux.
A soft sound began to ring throughout the room and the beat steadily turned to music, played by an orchestra. Kiba glanced down at his date and gave her a grin. "Would you like to dance?"
"Of course." Ino smiled back and waved her friends a goodbye before disappearing into the crowd of people.
Wanting to join, Sakura gave Gaara a coy smile. "Want to show them how it's done? That is, if you can dance."
Gaara gave her a skeptical look, "Excuse me?" He laughed and crossed his arms. "Sakura, I am the Kazekage, both a leader and a political head. Of course I know how to dance. The real question is…can you keep up?" He offered his hand to her and just as the cello hit a loud, low note, she slapped her hand into his. The moment her hand was in his grip, he pulled her to him. Their bodies fully pressed together then, the only visible things to one another were the shades of emerald and jade of the other's eyes.
He moved his free hand to her lower back, pressing her further against him. She lifted her own open hand and draped it on his shoulder.
"I'll try not to outshine you." She said with a grin, beginning the steps of the dance. He smirked in response, and took the lead.
After a few moments of dancing together, he spun her around. Placing her hand back on his shoulder, she looked at him shyly.
"You look really handsome tonight Gaara. The suit fits you well."
He made sure that every time she was brought back to him, she was even closer than the time before, if possible. "Thank you," he whispered huskily into her ear, causing her to blush. He spun her around again and pulled her back quickly, "I'm sorry that I said what I did." He told her sadly, "I wanted to come here with you for more than just because I thought I had too."
She glanced up at him, about to word her thoughts, when Gaara's attention shifted from her to their right where Kakashi stood, also dressed in a tux, though his face was still covered. "I do not mean to interrupt this lovely tango, but if I may?" the silver haired ninja asked Gaara politely.
Without a word Gaara pulled reluctantly away from Sakura, placing her hand into her teachers. "Of course," he said, giving the man a nod. Kakashi took Sakura's hand and began to dance with her. Gaara looked off and pushed through the crowd to go find Naruto.
"You know Kakashi-sensei, you have the worst timing, as usual." Sakura lamented, looking up at her former teacher.
His lone eye crinkled. "I just thought I would butt in before things got too serious."
Her face twisted in displeasure. "Humph. We were just talking, like you and I are doing right now."
The silver haired jounin simply shook his head. "That's not the way it appeared to everyone else. You know Sakura, you're kinda like the daughter I never really wanted, since I'm forever destined to be a heartbreaker, so I'm going to give you some advice."
Sakura's brow furrowed. He wasn't going to have a sex talk with her was he? "Kakashi-sensei, I highly doubt this is the time or place-"
"But this is the perfect time and place. First things first, you should know that most boys your age are only looking for one thing. You must never give it to them." He said in all seriousness. A light blush dusted her cheeks at his words. "Second, boys are liars. So when they say they aren't after number one, they are lying. Simple as that." Sakura opened her mouth to protest, but was cut off. "And third, when you catch them doing number two, in order to get number one, you need to tell me so I can kill them."
Not wanting to wait and see what other advice the copy nin had to give her, she made eye contact with Gaara, and sent him a pleading look. Hopefully he would see the meaning behind her gaze, and come rescue her.
Luckily for Sakura, Gaara had been looking over at her every thirty seconds, for reasons unknown to him. When he caught her gaze and mental plea, he moved away from the man he was engaged in a conversation with, and was at her side immediately. "Now it's my turn to interrupt." He said simply, trying not to give Kakashi too much of a threatening look.
The grey haired man bowed respectfully and held Sakura's hand out for Gaara, who took it anxiously. Once Kakashi disappeared into the crowd, Gaara brought her to him. "Rescued the damsel in distress." He smirked, setting his hand once more on her lower back.
She smirked in response. "Well, it's my party, so you have to do whatever I want. And at the moment, I wanted to finish our dance. And our conversation." At this her face turned remorseful. "I understand why you said what you did. I shouldn't have been so childish about it. I didn't hurt you did I? I was afraid that you had a concussion from the injury on your head. I never would have forgiven myself if anything had happened to you because of me."
"Sakura, obviously I'm fine." He gave her a faint smile. "And if it is alright with the queen of the evening, I would very much appreciate not talking of such depressing things." The music coming from the orchestra sped up as did Gaara's steps. "Besides…it doesn't matter anymore. Now is the time to focus on."
She smiled. He was right. Getting caught up in the movements of the tango, she hiked her leg around his waist, pressing their pelvises together. Noting the surprised look in his eyes, she blushed at her boldness. Putting down her leg, she apologized. "Sorry, I got carried away for a minute there."
A smirk formed on his face, and his hand trailed down from her back, resting on her leg. "Why sorry Sakura? I thought this was your night?" he taunted, letting his hand grip her thigh and bring it back up as an encouragement.
Her face turned a darker shade of red. He was doing this to her on purpose, knowing that it would embarrass her. Might as well mess with him in the process. She fluttered her eyelashes, and gave him another coy look. Grinding into his hips, she broke contact and danced around him, the fingertips of her left hand never leaving his shoulders.
"Tell me Gaara, can you tango?" she asked with a raised brow.
"Hn." He took her by the hand once she was in front of him again, and swept her into his grasp. He arched over her, causing her to bend back and slide her leg between his. "I don't know, can I?" he asked her, pressing his face into the crook of her neck.
A silly grin made its way across her face. She nuzzled him in return, and put her other leg around his waist as he stood them up. "I concede. It seems you do know how to dance after all. Most guys just get intimidated by my awesome moves." She said with a smile.
Gaara's smirk instantly turned to a frown. "Most guys?"
She became confused at the obvious disapproval in his tone. "Well, yeah. I mean, I don't get out much anyways because I'm always working, but every once in a while Ino makes me go to the club with her. It's very rare when I can find a dance partner that can keep up with me, since I took lessons as a kid."
He raised a brow at this. "Lessons?"
She sighed. "Yeah. My mother made me take private lessons on top of ninja training, because she wanted me to be more lady-like." Her face turned into a grimace. "It was hell having to train twice as hard for two completely different things, but now that I look back on it, dancing has made me more flexible, which helps in the ninja world."
"I see," he said softly. He still wasn't too fond of the idea she had danced with another man, but it was in the past. Right now it was only him and her, and he was going to show her how un-intimidated he really was.
The song came to an end and without delay another began, an argentine tango. Striking the strings with brisk and sharp notes, the orchestra played vigorously. Gaara let Sakura out, their only contact being their hands. As the music picked up, it was their foot work that was grabbing attention from all the people around them. Their feet were weaving in and out of each other's legs flawlessly. It almost seemed like a competition between the two, to see who would slip first. Sakura leaned forward, her body tilting over Gaara's, before stepping apart and facing opposite directions.
Temari watched the two like a hawk, her lace fan out and covering her mouth. An older man was beside her, watching the Kazekage and his partner dance expertly. "That woman is simply superb."
The blonde glanced over at him, a sly smile coming to her face. "Oh yes. Sakura is quite a woman. She's the Hokage's assistant, so she has a lot of experience in political matters."
"Is that so?" the elder pondered, appearing deep in thought.
They danced around the floor, Sakura still facing the same way as Gaara. He flipped her back around, and they did a few more twists with their legs. Then, Sakura hooked her left leg on Gaara's, and stuck her right leg up in the air vertically. She brought it down slowly, brushing his shoulder with her thigh. Then their feet began their battle once again.
"Absolutely. She sits in on meetings, helps write the treaties, organizes and files paperwork….all kinds of things for the Hokage." Temari said blithely.
"Interesting." He turned to another elderly man next to him, and began to relay the information he just heard.
They twirled together, faces only centimeters apart. Sakura followed Gaara's lead, seeing as he was the man in this dance. They pushed away from one another, their feet always moving in rhythm with each other. Gaara pulled Sakura back, and her knee hiked up on his leg as he leaned back. She came back off, both their legs moving in a circular movement, and then Sakura slid to the ground gracefully, holding only Gaara's left hand with her right. She stayed that way only for a moment, when the redhead pulled her up slowly. He spun her around and rejoined his free hand with hers, with her back to him and her left leg hooked over his own left.
"She's also a medic, a great one. She is the Hokage's student, said to have already surpassed her master." Temari let out a small yawn as if the conversation was boring her. More of the elders had crowded around their Kazekage's sister, watching the sultry tango.
"Ah yes, I've heard of her." One replied.
"What a jewel." Another said with an approving nod.
They leaned to the left, and came back up gracefully. Once Sakura's foot was back on the ground, she spun away from the redhead. When she was approximately two feet away from him, she began to move on her own. Following her lead, Gaara did a bit of fancy footwork of his own, and then they began to dance towards each other. Meeting halfway, she stepped forward with her right foot, while he stepped back with his left. Then they did the same thing with their other feet. They continued this for a few beats, and then went back to twirling.
"So, she has surpassed her mentor you say?" one of the elders asked the wind kunoichi.
"She surpassed Tsunade-sama a long time ago. Tomorrow she is going to teach some of the nurses at the hospital, in order to improve the program here." She informed them.
"Amazing. Simply amazing. Imagine what she could do if she were to stay here for an indefinite period of time." The elder said to the others.
The steps becoming more complex as they continued, Gaara let Sakura away from him, holding her by one hand. She spun around under the arch of his arm and fell back into his tight hold. They turned swiftly, Sakura sliding back down to the ground, letting her knee touch the floor before snapping back up. They turned together, letting their feet dance with one another, chests touching. Finally, they joined hands, Gaara spinning Sakura intricately. Her right leg swung backward in a one-hundred and eighty degree angle, and then brought it down, sliding it between his legs as he crouched back. Their bodies formed into the arch perfectly and they stayed that way, their faces merely a breath away. Just as they began to lean towards each other, the crowd broke out in applause, breaking them from the trance they were in.
They both stood, with Sakura hiding behind Gaara's arm slightly, embarrassed at the attention she was receiving. She had forgotten where and who she was, and was about to kiss the Kazekage. What she wasn't sure of, however, was if he was going to kiss her too. Was it possible that she had just imagined him leaning towards her? She needed girl talk, pronto.
"Um, Gaara, I'm going to go talk to Ino and them for a while. Is that okay?" she asked, peering into his eyes.
"Of course, it's your party." He didn't seem as affected by the crowd's attention, but she could have sworn she saw a slight blush on his face. Maybe he wasn't as unaffected by their almost-kiss as she thought he was.
"I'll be…" he paused, his eyes scanning for anything that would give him an excuse to leave her and regain his composure. "I'm going to ask the elders if they are enjoying themselves." He nodded and left her.
He made his way over to his sister and a couple of the elders. By now everyone had returned to dancing or talking around the room. "Good evening," the redhead nodded to each of his elders.
"Good evening Kazekage-sama," they muttered in unison, their gazes focused on something behind him. He glanced back and saw that they were watching Sakura as she made her way over to her blonde female friend.
"Quite a specimen, if I do say so myself, Kazekage-sama."
Gaara's head twisted back, seeing that some of the village officials had joined their little pow wow. "Excuse me?" the redhead asked, not sure if he should be defending Sakura from that comment.
"I merely mean that she is most acceptable Kazekage-sama." The official said with a smile.
"Oh yes, she's very beautiful." Another said.
"Very beautiful indeed," one of the elders nodded.
Gaara simply stared at the council, this was kind of weird.
"You know Kazekage-sama she's an excellent medic,"
"I know…" he replied suspiciously.
"And she's the Hokage's assistant, so she knows about political life and how to behave."
"Okay?" his suspicion rose.
"Such a stunning jewel would look marvelous in Suna, think of all the political gain."
"And the relationship with Konoha would strengthen," one of the younger officials spoke up.
"Wait." Gaara closed his eyes and looked around the group. "What exactly are we speaking about?"
"Marriage of course," they all said in unison once more.
Gaara went wide eyed. They were planning for him to marry? And Sakura was a candidate? He shook his head and looked out into the crowd. Spotting Sakura, his gaze focused on her. Well, they were right, she was extremely beautiful, and she was strong. He stared back at the council, who were now talking amongst themselves about how that would work out.
The thing that shocked him the most was that he was actually considering it. He was going to have to get married eventually, right? Why not pick Sakura? He enjoyed her presence more than any other person he knew. But marriage was for people who were in love, wasn't it? Gaara tried to shake the confusing thoughts from his head. He looked back at Sakura, who was talking with Ino and Naruto.
At least he thought she was talking, she just looked upset at what Naruto was saying. Gaara's brow furrowed and he left the group of men to find out what was wrong with his pink haired companion. When he arrived at her side, she could see the look of concern in his eyes. "Oh hey Gaara! I was just telling Sakura-chan about the witch Hinata-chan and I met yesterday." Naruto announced.
He quirked a brow at the fox boy. "Witch?"
"You know, that old hag called Yikyak or Yokoke, or something….." he replied, scratching the back of his head.
"You mean Yoko, Naruto-kun." Hinata chimed in softly.
He held his finger up as if he'd just had an epiphany. "Yeah! Her! Anyways, I was telling Sakura-chan about how Yoko made Hinata-chan cry. She was saying all kinds of things about Sakura-chan being your…um…source of entertainment for the cold, desert nights." He explained, becoming uncomfortable.
"I met her too, two days ago." Ino said, shivering a bit from the encounter. "She was like, the worst person I've ever come across."
"What did she say to you?" Kiba asked, keeping his hand possessively on Ino's shoulder.
"Well she was completely rude, acting like how dare I come ask for Sakura at the hospital. She's more up on herself than I am!" the blonde gaped, and nodded, agreeing with her own statement. "She said to me that Sakura was probably doing…those things…with Gaara. So I slapped her! I mean she called you a whore Sakura!"
Gaara scoffed, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes. "I can assure you that she is incorrect, Sakura and I have only slept together once. That's all."
Naruto gaped at them, opening and closing his mouth to the point where he resembled a fish. "Is that true Sakura-chan?"
Missing the meaning behind Naruto's question, she answered without thinking. "Yeah. His sheets are so soft and comfortable. They're really fun to roll around in." she said, complete honesty in her voice.
"What?" everyone yelled in unison.
The pink haired girl crossed her arms, finally catching on to where their minds were. "Oh come on guys! I'd had a bad day, and couldn't sleep! I accidentally fell asleep in Gaara's arms is all, and he was nice enough to let me stay."
"Oh. Well you should do something about that troll of a nurse. She isn't very nice. I wouldn't want to be treated by her." The jinchuuriki pointed out.
Sakura crossed her arms. "Naruto, you don't like to be treated by anybody. Every time you wind up in the hospital, you insist that you're fine, and try to escape."
He put his hand behind his head and grinned sheepishly. "Hehe, well, since I have the Kyuubi's chakra, it heals me sooner, so I really don't need to stay in the hospital."
Turning to Gaara, she gave him a meaningful look. "I think it's time we go pay our dear friend Yoko a visit. I'm sure she'd love to see us." She said, sarcasm dripping from her statement.
"Why not? She's here after all." He said, pointing behind her. Over near the table filled with sweets was the nurse from hell herself. "Temari told her it was indeed a banquet, so apparently she's very upset that this was your party."
"Perfect." She said, linking arms with Gaara, an evil grin making its way across her face. It was gone by the time they walked up to the brunette however. "Why hello Yoko. I didn't expect to see you here. Do you have a date?" Sakura inquired.
The fuming woman merely shook her head negatively, eyes locked on their intertwined arms. "It's a shame. I'm lucky to have Gaara. Did you see our tango?" Sakura gazed off in the distance, lost in the memory. "He certainly is an invigorating dancer." She added, smiling up at the man on her arm.
Gaara pulled her closer to him, just in spite of Yoko, as well as knowing this would please Sakura, and he wasn't too fond of this woman always harassing her. "Well, it takes two to tango of course. It wouldn't have been as marvelous as it was if Sakura wasn't so flexible." He smiled back down at the pink haired princess of the night.
She blushed at the compliment, while Yoko seethed in silent fury. Turning back to the brunette, she said, "By the way Yoko, you wouldn't believe what I heard a few minutes ago."
"What?" the older medic asked through clenched teeth.
"Apparently, someone thinks that Gaara and I are sleeping together, and is accusing me of being a whore. And then, that same person accused my good friend Hinata of doing similar activities. You wouldn't happen to know anything about this, would you?" she asked, feigning innocence.
"N-no, I don't, S-Sakura-sama." She stuttered out, remembering her encounter with the vibrant blonde haired boy the day before, and actually glancing over at him. She definitely had no wish to repeat that experience ever again.
Gaara eyed Yoko suspiciously. "Is that so?" he asked, giving her a harsh, stern look. "Because I was just telling Sakura here, once we find out who it was, I will personally see that their punishment is just."
The brunette paled visibly. Her survival instincts were beginning to kick in, and she decided to get out of there as soon as possible. "That sounds great, K-Kazekage-sama. Um, if you'll excuse me, I need to go….somewhere over there." She said vaguely, practically running away from the pair. This only caused Sakura to burst into laughter.
"That was great! We make a pretty good team, if I do say so myself." She said, emerald eyes smiling into Gaara's jade ones.
"Well I simply told her the truth." He gave her a small smile, moving his hand to the small of her back and leading her towards a table filled with professionally wrapped presents. "Temari told me these are all yours, the elders and officials and the villagers wanted to get them for you."
Her eyes widened. "I've never seen so many presents in my life! These really aren't necessary Gaara. I don't even know how I'm going to get them all back to Konoha."
"We can always have them sent over. No need to worry about it," he explained. Sakura opened her presents, receiving beautiful clothes, perfumes, and jewelry. When she got the last one, she noticed it was from Ino. She excitedly ripped the paper off, knowing her best friend always got her something good. When she looked in the box her face turned crimson at the sight of a silky red negligee. She quickly shoved the lid back on, not wanting anyone to see the item inside. "Well that was great, moving on!" she laughed awkwardly, calling even more attention to herself with her odd behavior. Gaara arched his brow and tried to steal the present away to see what was inside. Her blush darkened, if possible, and she jerked the gift away from him. "It's nothing Gaara, girl stuff." She blurted out, hiding the present in the mess of the others.
He stared at her questioningly. Luckily for her he wasn't a very curious type most of the time. The rest of the night flew by with the cutting of the cake, more dancing and socializing. Finally, Sakura pulled tiredly on Gaara's arm, "I'm ready to go home." She flashed him a weary smile.
"Of course Sakura," he held his hand out for her, which she happily took. He turned to one of the waiters and told him to take care of Sakura's gifts and have them delivered to the mansion. With a sharp nod the man dashed off to recruit some help. Gaara pressed Sakura against him, and in a swift swirl they were gone from the party.
They materialized in the living room, alone. "Well that…was some party."
Sakura nodded in agreement. "I'm worn out. I don't think I've danced that much in a long time." She made her way up the stairs, the redhead following her. Stopping outside her door, she turned to him. "Goodnight Gaara." She murmured, giving him one last smile.
"Goodnight Sakura, and, happy birthday."
Closing her door, she stripped off her dress and necklace, wanting to get into her pajamas as soon as possible. Walking over to her bedside table, she noticed a small box. Opening it, she gasped at what she saw. Inside, placed carefully amongst light pink tissue paper, was the small glass orb, containing the petrified cherry blossom she had seen in the marketplace on her second day here. She picked up the card that was underneath the box and examined it. Written in an elegant hand, it simply read,
Happy Birthday
Her face broke out into a grin, knowing exactly who had given it to her. She set the items down and quickly threw on her robe before running down the hall. Pulling open Gaara's bedroom door without knocking, she ran up to the frozen Kazekage, who, at the moment, was in the middle of unbuttoning his shirt. Flinging her arms around his shoulders, she gave him a warm hug. "Thank you, I love my present." She whispered. She began to lean in, in order to give him a kiss on the cheek, but froze when she was mere centimeters away. What if he got mad?
So instead, she pulled away, and gave him an awkward pat on the shoulder. "Well…goodnight!" She said, and then proceeded to leave the room as quickly as she had entered.
Gaara stared after her, frozen still from the shock of what had just happened. "You're welcome…?" he finally muttered out, even though she was already gone. At least she seemed to like his present. He had to search the market for the stand they had seen it in when they went shopping for the first time. Un-clasping the last button, Gaara tossed his shirt off into a chair, removing his dress pants and remaining in nothing but his boxers.
The redhead got into bed and let himself relax in the darkness. If felt nice to be in a bed after the past three days on the cold ground. Then sleep took him, and he was once more plagued by his dream.
Once again Gaara was surrounded by the black, empty abyss. He looked around, knowing what would come next, but recalling the last time when he had heard a voice. He needed to know who the voice belonged to. On impulse he stepped forward, and, as always, the invisible ground shattered.
Gaara closed his eyes tightly, feeling the rushing wind around him from the fall, but he needed to hear the voice, if it even came. Just when he felt all hope draining from him, there it was.
"GAARA!" a girl called out, her voice filled with worry.
Gaara's eyes shot open as he sat up in bed. He knew that voice! But he couldn't place a face to it. It was definitely a woman though. He leaned forward, resting his head in his hands and trying to think. It seemed so familiar, but it was still vague. Was he ever going to find out who this person was trying to call him from the darkness?
She looked around, seeing the Suna street that had become so familiar to her over the past few days. Suddenly, she recognized it as the same one where she and Gaara had gone shopping.
Recalling the man next to her, who felt oddly familiar now, she traced his body with her eyes. When she got to his neck, her hope lifted. Maybe she would get to see his face this time, or at least the color of his hair. But, just as she saw the underside of his jaw, the image disappeared in a swirl of sand.
She sat upright in her bed, panting. She had been so close! By now, she wasn't even sure if it was Sasuke. She hadn't thought of him in days, too distracted by the time she spent with the sand master. What she really needed was to see Sasuke, and talk to him. That would erase any doubts she had as to who the mysterious man in her dream was. Lying back down, she faced her window, praying that sleep would overtake her soon. Tomorrow was a big day after all.