Typhoon

Chapter Ten

-Council Requirements-

Sakura walked down the hospital hallway, a smile on her face. She missed this place. She looked down at the chart she was holding and frowned. She was on her way to check on a small girl, about four years old. Apparently the little girl had a serious case of leukemia, and it wasn't very likely that she would live to see her next birthday. When she reached the girl's door, she knocked gently. Hearing a soft 'Enter', she opened the door and walked in, a warm smile on her face. Hazel eyes stared back at her, almost lifeless.

"Hello! I'm Haruno Sakura and I'll be taking care of you today. What's your name sweetheart?" she asked kindly, holding her hand out for the girl to shake.

The orange haired girl grasped her hand weakly. "Akane." She replied quietly.

"Well Akane-chan let's see how you're doing ok?" Sakura asked, moving to examine the girl.

She stayed in the room for about an hour, joking with the young girl, her goal in making her smile. Suddenly the door was opened and in walked a messenger. Bowing to her respectfully, he said, "I'm sorry to interrupt Sakura-sama, but the Council wishes for your presence. It's urgent."

She raised a brow in confusion. "Alright, I will be there in a moment. You can wait in the hall."

Once the chuunin left the room she turned back to Akane. "Everything is all set. If you need anything, tell one of the nurses. If you have to, threaten them with telling me, and they'll bend over backwards to make you happy." She joked.

As she moved away from the bed, small hands grabbed her arm, halting her departure. She turned back to see the girl's hazel eyes shining with hope. "You'll come back and visit me, won't you Sakura-sama?" she asked desperately.

Smiling warmly, the pink haired medic reached out and brushed some of the girl's orange locks from her face. "As soon as I am able, I will come and read you a story. How does that sound?" She asked tenderly.

The young girl's face broke out into a tentative smile. "That would be wonderful Sakura-sama."

She left the room shortly after that, and was escorted to the council room by the chuunin. Thanking him, she knocked on the door, awaiting permission to enter. Once she received it, she walked into the room and looked around, confused. Why wasn't Gaara there?

A blonde woman she had never met gave her a warm smile. "Come sit Sakura-sama." She invited, patting the chair next to her.

Not wanting to appear rude, Sakura did as she was told. Before she could ask about her fiancé's whereabouts, a young brunette who looked vaguely familiar spoke up, a glare in place. "It's about time you got here. Did they not teach you in Konoha that keeping important people waiting is rude? But then again, maybe things are a bit more barbaric there." She growled, a look of contempt on her features.

"Since when are you important?" the blonde next to Sakura laughed, causing some of the others to let out a low chuckle.

Instantly she disliked the girl. Putting her left elbow on the table and showing off her ring to the girl, she placed her head in her hand. Glancing at the girl as if she wasn't important, she said, "Oh I'm sorry, I was just tending to a patient when I was asked to come. Did they not teach you here that it is rude to leave the sick to fend for themselves?" she raised a delicate brow then. "Because that's not how I was taught in Konoha by the Hokage, Tsunade-shishou." She emphasized, sitting back in her seat and crossing her arms. It wouldn't hurt to remind her and everyone else here just who she was, and how respected she was in her home village. A lot of the council members looked offended by her statement. Was this Konoha shinobi belittling the village Hidden in the Sand?

Offended, the brunette gasped. "How dare you! You little-"

"Matsuri calm yourself. You offended Sakura-sama first, it was only right that she put you in your place. And we were only waiting for five minutes, learn some patience." The woman next to her said. After scolding the girl she glanced over at Sakura, placing her hand comfortingly on her shoulder. "And Sakura-sama, it might be wise for you to hold your tongue with such comments…you know how old men get. I would hate for you to get on the counsel's bad side." She smiled, trying to show that she only meant to help.

Sakura nodded, grateful to the other woman. She knew she shouldn't have said it, but sometimes she just couldn't control her temper. Turning back to the brunette, her eyes narrowed in recognition. So the brunette's name was Matsuri, that little girl Gaara had to go save a few years back. That explained why she didn't like her. Apparently the girl had a little crush on her fiancé. Great, this was the last thing she needed. However, the woman sitting next to her appeared to be on her side, and for that, she let her anger die down.

"Where is Gaara?" she asked no one in particular. It was then that an elderly man spoke up.

"Kazekage-sama is too busy to be bothered with this trivial meeting. We just called you here to discuss with you the finer points to becoming a Kage's wife." He said.

"Despite regulation," the blonde woman muttered.

Her brow scrunched together, confused at the situation and the blonde's comment. What else could there be that she didn't already know? It seemed that the woman next to her wasn't too pleased about this either.

"You see, Sakura-sama, there are a lot of requirements you must fulfill in order for you and Kazekage-sama to be married." Another member spoke up.

"Like what? I already know about all of the political and social requirements, having apprenticed with the Hokage for seven years. I know the ins and outs of what a Kage has to do in daily life." She said, still wondering what else they were talking about.

Ibiki spoke up then, wanting to assuage some of her confusion. "We realize that Sakura-sama, but there is one point in which Suna and Konoha differ in marriage contracts." He informed her.

Before she could ask what that was, another woman spoke up. "Since in Suna most of our Kages wound up being from the same line, we like to keep it that way. In order for you to marry Kazekage-sama, you need to be with child before the first year of your marriage is up."

Her brows rose at this news. She and Gaara had to have a kid before they'd been married for a year?! Don't get her wrong, she wanted to have kids, but it just seemed ridiculous to put a time period on it.

"Oh. Well, I can understand where you're coming from, but I'll have to discuss the matter with Gaara. It's as much his decision as it is mine, and I respect his opinion." She informed them. That way, they knew that they couldn't back her into a corner, just because Gaara wasn't there to defend her.

"Kazekage-sama is well aware of these requirements," an older man sitting next to Matsuri said, his stare not at all welcoming.

The head of the counsel looked over to the man, suspicion all over her face. She didn't know if that was entirely true, but decided to deal with the matter later. "Anyways," she spoke up, silencing the rest of the room. She turned to face their leader's wife to be, "There will be some customs that you are not familiar with, so during this week I will be helping you understand those differences. I do not mean to inconvenience you, I would just hate if you were taken advantage of by some of the elders or other council members."

Standing up from her chair, the blonde woman next to her spoke to the whole room. "Well, that's all we needed to discuss with Sakura-sama. I'm sure she has more things that require her attention back at the hospital." At that declaration, she and the other council members made their way to the doors.

Surprised that the meeting was over so quickly, Sakura stood, following everyone out. As she was about to leave the room, Matsuri blocked her path. The girl sneered at her. "You might as well go home. Gaara-sama doesn't want, nor like children."

Knowing that Matsuri was just trying to intimidate her, she leaned close to the other girl's face. "Well, that doesn't mean that Gaara and I will refrain from the activities that create children now does it? Since he just can't seem to keep his hands off me when we're alone." Standing straight, she put her hand on Matsuri's shoulder and pushed her to the side. Walking past her, she turned slightly, wanting to get out one more verbal jab. "And Gaara's not some pedophile, so stop thinking that he will get with you, a mere child of sixteen. You did say he hated children, after all." She smirked. Then she began to walk down the hallway, leaving a sputtering brunette in her wake.

As she reached the end of the hall, the blonde woman from earlier came up to her. "I didn't get the chance to introduce myself earlier Sakura-sama. My name is Hana." She said with a friendly smile, holding her hand out to the pink haired girl.

Sakura took it happily. It was nice to know that someone was on her side. "It's nice to meet you Hana-san. Thanks for standing up for me back there. I'm not entirely used to the way things are run here in Suna." She said with a sheepish smile.

"Nonsense my dear, always happy to help. After all, without any backup in there, you might have been eaten alive." She laughed, obviously only meaning in a verbal attack from the council. "If you ever need any advice, just come find me. I wish you and the Kazekage-sama the utmost happiness in your marriage." She said, before walking off.

She walked back to the hospital slowly. Kids. Wow. She had always wanted to have children of her own, and when she and Gaara had realized their feelings for each other all she could think about was having a son that looked exactly like his father. That way she would be able to tell what Gaara looked like when he was younger. She bet he was adorable. But she didn't know how he felt about it. Suddenly what Matsuri had said came back to haunt her. What if the girl was right? What if, because of his childhood, Gaara really didn't want kids?

Entering the hospital, her thoughts were halted as she saw another familiar brunette leaning against the reception desk. Except this one she knew how to deal with.

"Just take the damn form. Suna needs a Head Medic, and I'm the one with the most experience. That little hussy isn't here anymore, so Gaara-sama needs me." Yoko said to the receptionist, whose eyes were the size of saucers having seen Sakura's approach.

Placing a hand on the unsuspecting woman's shoulders, Sakura jerked her roughly, causing her to turn towards her. "I'm sorry, but the position of Head Medic has already been filled." She said, glaring into the woman's startled eyes. "By me." She stated, holding up her ring hand.

Yoko gasped at what she saw. "What?!"

Sakura merely shrugged, as if she didn't care. "Yeah, I guess Gaara got tired of people calling me his whore, so he just decided to marry me. You know, so we can do such activities without it being wrong."

Furious and humiliated, the brunette woman stormed out of the hospital. Sakura let out a sigh. For the rest of the day, she decided, she would drown herself in her work. She would wait until Gaara came to pick her up at five to think about having children.

Gaara let out a loud yawn. He was utterly exhausted from the mountains of paperwork that had been forced upon him today. He wondered why the council had given him so much in one day, they weren't usually that obnoxious. He sighed, not really wanting to think anymore. All he wanted to do was get Sakura from the hospital and go home. It was reassuring that now he didn't have a time limit with her anymore, she was here to stay. Forever.

Being with her every day was something he was definitely looking forward to. He looked up then, seeing he had already made it to the hospital. Right on time as always, he walked into the lobby to see his lovely fiancé waiting for him. "Ready?"

She smiled up at him, looping her arm through his. "Always ready."

He nodded and led her out, keeping his eyes focused ahead. "So how was your day?"

"Well…in was interesting," she laughed at first, but the nagging Matsuri kept creeping in. "How about yours?"

"Very boring…for some reason the council decided to drop all the paperwork on my desk today." He sighed, lacing his fingers with hers and letting their arms turn to joined hands. "Why was yours interesting?"

She smiled nervously. "Well, I met the most adorable little girl today. She's been staying at the hospital a lot because of her severe case of leukemia. None of the other staff members have been able to get through to her, but today, I made her smile."

"Well that's…good." He replied a bit awkwardly, only increasing her worry. It was a child they were talking about after all. It didn't take long for the two to arrive home. Already used to their routine Gaara left her to make dinner while he changed into something a bit more comfortable for his prepared night of relaxing.

She didn't really feel like cooking anything much that night, so once again, she made chicken tender salad. She smiled fondly at the memory of the last time they had eaten this for dinner. Naruto had come barging in, and she and Gaara had argued over what was polite and what wasn't. She shook her head as she chopped up the lettuce and put the chicken on to fry. Things would be so different now.

Once everything was prepared, she checked on the chicken. Satisfied that it would be okay for a few minutes, she sat down at the table and put her head in her hands. She needed to ask Gaara about children sooner or later, she was just afraid of what his answer would be. What if Matsuri had been right? What if that little pest knew Gaara better than she, his fiancé, did? And, how would she react if he said no?

Sighing, she walked back into the kitchen and took the chicken off the stove. She sliced it into pieces and put it on top of the salads. Once she was done with that, she set the table and got out water for each of them. Just as she was finishing this Gaara came downstairs, fully changed.

Almost surprising to her, he was actually wearing a shirt, already in his loose drawstring pants. He looked down at the food, feeling his stomach grumble with want. "Looks good," he complimented, taking his seat and digging in. Today had been long and almost endless. He looked up at Sakura as she took her seat and started eating. Something was wrong, she was eerily quiet.

He stopped his fork and finished what was already in his mouth before speaking, "What's wrong Sakura?"

Surprised at his unexpected question, she stopped poking at her salad. It was now or never. She took a fortifying breath and looked into his gaze. "Well…I was wondering…how do you feel about children?" she asked hesitantly.

There was a definite pause. "…Why?"

"I was just asking," she mumbled out, returning her gaze to her food as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.

He watched her questionably, "I don't know…I don't particularly like them." He shrugged, not really catching on that there was something hidden behind her question. "Why?" he asked again, since something was undeniably nagging in the back of his mind.

She shrugged nonchalantly, putting some salad on her fork. "No reason. I just thought it was something we should talk about before getting married. You know, so we know where we stand on the subject." Then she put the salad in her mouth, hoping that her act was convincing.

Something was still wrong. Children? Was it simply a question because they were now engaged? He had never thought about that before, but then again he also never thought he would be getting married. He studied her carefully, trying to decipher her body language. Did she want children? He couldn't tell, but if it was her opinion she was known for making her words heard.

He set his silverware down and thought deeply. He didn't like children. At all. They were mean and evil. They were also very irritating, but as he continued to think about it, it could be different with Sakura. He might like them if they were his own and then they would have half of their beautiful mother. A small smile crossed his face as he tried to imagine them, but just before he could, images of Sakura's pained face flashed from his memory. Every time he had ever physically hurt her. He loved Sakura…but that hadn't stopped him from doing some of the horrible things he had done to her in the past.

He didn't know how to emotionally cater to someone's needs, or make sure they were alright. When he got angry, he became violent, or when things didn't go his way, or became unpredictable, he put an end to it at once. Children were very unpredictable…it felt as if his heart stopped. He would hurt them, just like he had hurt Sakura. A new fear washed over him, what would happen when he got angry and lashed out at those mimicking emeralds? He shut his eyes tightly. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he destroyed something that they had made. He wouldn't…he couldn't be a father, there were just too many things wrong with him and his childhood.

Sakura glanced off to the side uncomfortably, before returning her gaze to her food. The silence was killing her. Heck, the fact that Matsuri had been right was killing her. She continued to eat her meal, desperately trying to keep from crying. She had wanted kids. A boy and a girl at least, then after that she wouldn't care what they had. She wanted a son that looked like his father. She wanted a daughter that she could play dress up with. She wanted a home full of love. But it seemed that fate had something different in mind for her.

She wouldn't tell him that she wanted kids, it would only make him feel guilty about his admission. And she wouldn't bring another life into this world if it was only done so out of guilt. She wanted him to want their child, to want to be a father.

It was then she decided to respect his decision. She wouldn't bring up the subject ever again. It would just be hard to hide her feelings from him, since he had gotten more perceptive to her needs lately, but she could do it. She would do it.

Taking a sip of her water, she glanced across the table at Gaara. He looked odd. "Are you ok? I didn't mean to upset you or anything, I just wanted to know." She said hastily, not wanting to argue with him over the matter. It would only make things worse.

"Stop. Talking." He ordered her. He was still trying to calm himself down from his own want and his own anger. Now that the thoughts were in his head, he wanted to create something with the love Sakura gave him. He wanted…a son. He actually wanted one. So that he could prove that he could love in another way than just Sakura. But he couldn't. It wasn't fair! Why was he so damaged that he was unable to have all the things that normal people wanted in life. He let out a deep breath, knowing he should stop his want. He wouldn't be able to control himself, just like now. He was straining himself from letting out all his anger.

He would hurt them. He just knew it. Finally, his tight fists relaxed and he was able to breathe normally. "I'm…sorry." He said quietly, "And you didn't make me angry. So please don't worry about it…it was something else."

She didn't fully believe him, but knew better than to pry. "Ok." She said, returning her gaze to her food. What had just happened was proof enough that it would never work. Even the thought of kids in general seemed to upset him. She would respect his wishes, and never upset him with the subject of kids ever again, because she hated seeing him in pain.

The rest of their meal was spent in silence, Sakura's caused by sadness and Gaara's by grief. After Sakura had finished her salad she simply sat their staring at the bowl. The redhead could tell there was still something going on in her mind that she wasn't telling him. He sighed, she would tell him eventually. Seeing that she was still lost in her thoughts, he got up and picked up his plate. He stopped beside her and took hers as well, snapping her back to reality. "Oh Gaara, I've got it." She attempted to take the plates from him, but he only pulled them out of her reach.

"No, it's alright. You seem tired, I'll do the dishes and you can go get ready for bed." He leaned over and kissed the top of her head, disappearing into the kitchen.

Deciding not to argue with him she made her way to their room. Passing all the other bedrooms on her way, she sighed wistfully. These would have been their children's rooms. Shaking her head, she continued down the hall. Upon reaching their room, she went in and got dressed for bed. Too exhausted to wait, she crawled beneath the covers and shut her eyes, once again holding back the tears. She would be okay, it wasn't like not having kids was the end of the world. Maybe in a few years she could find and take on an apprentice. At least then it would be kind of like the way it was with Tsunade.

She frowned. No, it wouldn't be the same. If she couldn't have Gaara's kids then she didn't want anything remotely like it. If she were to ever teach anyone the way of the med nin, it would be her children and her children only. Letting out a frustrated sigh, she rolled over and buried her face in her pillow.

It wasn't too long later that the door opened and Gaara came in. The lights were off so he assumed she was already asleep. He still couldn't shake the feeling that Sakura was depressed. He decided he would tell her tomorrow that he would take a half day and spend the afternoon with her. Just the two of them, since Ino and Temari were coming later to collect her for wedding plans. Without a word he got into bed and shut his eyes, letting sleep take him swiftly. He was worn out from all these emotions he was still inexperienced with.