The End

His ears were on his sister, he would swear they truly were if she questioned him again, yet his eyes were on the last minute papers he was currently trying to finish before their departure.

"It will be cold!" Temari emphasized.

'This is the fifth time she is telling me this.' Gaara thought to himself.

"You need to pack warm clothes!"

He said nothing as his sister dug through his drawers, pulling out and separating certain sets of clothes from others.

'Dearest sister,' he thought sarcastic words he wish he could say to her right now, 'it is you who is doing all the packing for me.'

For that reason alone, her selfless action, he pursed his lips and instead signed one last paper before going through his letters.

"Gaara!" Temari cried.
"Are you even listening to me?"

He was going to swear, he told himself he finally was going to do it if she questioned him again, yet stopped in his tracks when a certain letter caught his eye.

"Gaara!"

Temari fumed all the more when Gaara raised a hand up towards her, silently telling her to hold her tongue as his eyes stared at wonderment at the envelope in his hand. To him passing on her, Temari marched over to him, angry he would ignore his older sister for matters that could wait. However, as she peered over his shoulder, catching the name of the addressee on the letter, she found her anger melting away.

She eyed his profile, a small smile forming on her when she saw the awe in his look. Not even Gods could tear his attention away now, and she marveled at the sight. Perhaps this was his first personal letter, and he took the time to relish in the feeling of receiving one.

'Or maybe it's because it's from her.' Temari thought.

She gave her brother a slight nudge when she noticed how lost and transfixed he was staring at the letter.

"Go on." She whispered, words of encouragement.

Instead of his usual scold, or finding a polite way of telling her to mind her own business, Gaara surprisingly did as his sister asked. He was precise in opening the parcel, trying his best to unfold it instead of tearing into it like others would have. A letter immediately presented itself, followed by a picture that he held in his other hand.

Temari watched with a smile as his eyes scoured the long parchment. She didn't dare ask for him to read it out loud, for she knew he would refuse. Not to mention, she didn't find it in her place to come between what Gaara shared with the writer of that letter. Instead, she watched him as many emotions flashed through his eyes, all happy ones of course. Only ones she could bring out of Gaara, Temari thought.

Temari's smile had turned into a grin when Gaara finished the letter with a small, soft smile of his own before his eyes turned from the paper and to the picture. It was then, his smile grew a little more and his eyes shined a little more brightly.

Such raw and rare emotion from her brother, that Temari couldn't help but ask,

"Can I see the picture?"

She worried he would be reluctant, but was surprised to see him bask in looking at it one more time before nodding to his sister. He was a little sheepish passing it off, but Temari simply melted at the photo she remembered taking of the two.

It had been the night of the formal event, before they had made it inside. In the picture Sakura hung on Gaara's arm with a huge grin, her emerald dress shining from the light. Meanwhile, Gaara was in his Kazekage wear, surprisingly looking relaxed to Sakura's alien hold, and like her he too had a soft smile, yet it, and his eyes, were transfixed all on Sakura.

"You're suppose to look at the camera when you take a picture." Temari commented, but knew the picture was precious simply as the way it was.

Gaara said nothing as he began digging through his desk, pulling out an empty frame before taking the photo back from Temari. He slid it in the frame, brushing a thumb across Sakura's face one more time before placing it on top of his desk next to one of his cacti.

"My eyes were stolen by the most beautiful thing that night."

Temari gagged lightly, but Gaara's eyes remained on the photo.

"Who taught you to speak like that? Surely not Kankuro..."

Temari simply shook her head when she noticed how hypnotized Gaara was still of the photo, and she instead began her packing once more. As odd as his words had sounded, Temari couldn't help but let her smile creep back on, happy again for her brother. So, she let him bask happily in silence. She would wait to nag him about this trip later.

"Temari?"

"Yes?"

"I need you to get something glassed for me."

Sakura smiled as she sat herself down on her bed, settling the small box in her lap. She knew him not to pass on her like she was no one, but she truly didn't expect him to respond to her letter so quickly. It made her heart skip a beat knowing he still put her above some of his priorities. At the same time, it made her worry a little.

"Your attentiveness to those closest to you may become your downfall, Gaara." Words she wished she could tease him with in person.

She shook the small box lightly, hearing something jostle inside and against the cardboard. She didn't wait a second longer tearing open the box, unlike him, she was a little more rough handling her way of opening the package. As soon as she managed to open it her emerald gaze was immediately caught by something shiny, and bright pink.

"Oh, Gaara." Sakura said through her growing smile, pulling out the object he had sent her.

She recognized it as a magenta flower he was able to grow on his cacti. It obviously had been plucked off the cactus with care, and he had taken the time to get the giant petal encased in glass. That way it would never whither or die. It's beauty would last forever, and her forever would be how long she would cherish the item.

"So pretty..." She whispered, examining the object in the palm of her hand.

She thanked Gaara for the item in her mind before settling it down on her nightstand. Turning her attention back to the box, she found a note-card. To it's small size, Sakura was a little disappointed, hoping Gaara had so much to share with her like she had in her letter. However, when her mind reminded her how little of words Gaara was, how busy he surely must be, she became simply grateful he shared any words with her at all.

It took her a moment to realize, and she had to read the title over and over, that Gaara had actually written her a small story.

'Cactus and Flower'

She smiled lightly at the words before continuing.

There once was a cactus so very alone, others feared the hurt it could bring and they would leave it on its own.

Even when cactus would plead, even when cactus would beg, no one would pay him any heed.

This had made cactus feel nothing in time, and it forced itself to believe that it would be forever alone, it would ask for no one since others treated him like a crime.

But just as cactus accepted this sad fact, a beautiful flower, petals pink and giant, suddenly blossomed on cactus, of their cruel fate flower was defiant.

Flower graced cactus' head, as if it were his beautiful crown, and to this, if it had lips, cactus would frown.

As much as cactus wished for the opposite to believe, for flower was the most lovely to him, it asked flower to leave.

"Why do you beg me to go?"

"You will end up leaving me. I am dangerous and not beautiful like yourself or others, and everyone fears me so."

However, flower refused.

Flower would not leave cactus' side, so cactus continued to try to push flower away, before they themselves would cast cactus aside.

Everyday cactus tried, so everyday flower would say,

"You are beautiful to me! I will stand by your side, I will not leave you until I am old, which then I will whither and die!"

Cactus then began to grow its spikes around flower, realizing they would not ever leave them, cactus showed off a sight to others of its dangerous power.

"Why is this something you now do?" Flower said.

"To protect you." Cactus said.
"My spikes are unsafe, they are tall and sharp, so I will make sure no one steals you away from me, for you have stolen my heart."

"I thought you hated me and wished for me to go."

"You've shown me love, which I before was blind to see. I wish for that love to grow tall like a flourished tree."

The note ended there and Sakura smiled at the short story, a little surprised Gaara had thought of something like that to share with her.

"Childish thinking." The young woman whispered, remembering Gaara's own words.

"Sakura! You have a visitor!"

It was the call of Sakura's mother that made the rosette shake off her lingering thoughts.

"Coming!" She called back.

She pushed the box off to the side, placing the card next to the glass flower. However, she noticed then a little more writing on the back of the card, and brought the note back to her face to read.

Thank you for being my flower, Sakura, it read with a signature of his name after.

To his words, Sakura felt a warmth creep on her face. Her cheeks began to match her hair color as she dwelled on what his words could mean. Had this small story meant to be about herself and Gaara, she wondered.

But then that would mean…

"Gaara." Sakura whispered into the air, in awe still while staring at his note.
"Is this your way of telling me you lo-?"

"Sakura! Don't keep them waiting!"

Again, it was her mother and again she shook her head to rid of her complex thinking.

"Nah." She chuckled before placing the card next to the flower.
"Not Gaara. Not to me at least. Not after all this time still."

Lifting herself from the bed, Sakura turned back to stare at the gift and note the redhead had sent her once she reached her door. She thought back of what they had gone through together a while back. How much farther each of them had come so far. Grateful he still kept her in his mind as much as she did with him.

She blinked once more towards the giant, magenta petal.

"Right?"