Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any characters associated with it.

A One Month Bet

The seconds ticked by quietly. Gaara stared blankly at the now closed door of his office, seeing and hearing nothing but the incoherent flashes now running through his mind.

What—

Just happened?

He racked his brain for anything, any miniscule detail that might explain what had just occurred in his office. He must've missed something: something she said or did, or something someone else said or did… It had to be something! But what?

Of everything that had played out only moments ago, there was only one thing that made any sense to him: Their interaction had been awkward and shocking… but something about it felt welcome. Sakura had addressed him by his first name, and he had done the same for her. It had felt comfortable and natural, even while interspersed amongst all the other confusion he felt. He did not understand why Sakura had come to him tonight. He could find no rhyme or reason for the things she said to him or for the ways in which she reacted. But to hear his name whisper through her lips… to see her not only approach him without fear, but with… intention. So strong was the feeling of relief and familiarity at finally embracing the sound of her voice. For a while Gaara simply sat and reveled in that feeling. It was only after he allowed his gaze to drop back down to the surface of his desk that the confusion began churning once again.

What was Sakura's purpose for coming to him? Why? Why did she kiss him? Why did she say things to him that didn't make sense? Her actions and her words made no connection in his mind. He felt as though he was missing a very large, integral clue to her motives. He was completely on edge with confusion. When a knock sounded at his door only moments later, his heart nearly shot out of his chest. He eyed the door cautiously. Was it Sakura? Was she back?

"Gaara?"

He took a deep breath and let it out quickly. It was Temari's voice.

The door opened slowly and two spiky pigtails emerged, soon followed by the darkened face of his sister. "Gaara?" she asked again, "You alright?"

When he did not answer her, she entered the office fully. Kankuro was right behind her. "What are you two doing here?" he asked gruffly. Of course they would be here, he thought belatedly, Sakura was with them tonight.

A beat passed in which Gaara came upon a revelation: Sakura had been with Temari and Kankuro all night! Surely, they knew what was going on. He shot a shrewd glance at his siblings. They probably even played a part in it…

Without a moment of pause, he stood up and laid the palms of his hands flat on his desk. His sand slithered evenly along the floor and around his feet in readiness for the interrogation. He would not hesitate to use it if necessary. "What," he asked slowly, "Is going on?"

Temari and Kankuro shifted uneasily. Oh yes, Gaara could tell they had both been drinking with Sakura. Just as before, he could smell the alcohol wafting around the room. Neither sibling said anything, and Gaara tried again, this time advancing his sand closer towards them. They both eyed it cautiously. "Explain yourselves." he encouraged darkly, "That's an order."

Gaara saw the expressions on their faces, even in the dim light, become very serious. They had not anticipated for him to play the Kage-card. Kankuro moved closer to Temari and placed one hand on her shoulder. "Gaara," he said warily, "There's no need for this." His speech was slower than normal, but he did a very good impression of a sober man. "We'll tell you what we know, but in exchange we need some questions of our own answered. Will you consider that?"

Gaara straightened his back, extending himself to his full height. He knew Kankuro was playing it safe, asking politely and cautiously for a negotiation. But what did he possibly owe the two of them? He was the victim of this confusing, awkward dilemma. But perhaps, if he agreed to the terms, it would save him the trouble of forcefully interrogating them. Angry, suspicious, and annoyed as he was, Gaara still did not want to hurt his brother and sister. He relented with a single nod.

Temari's sigh of relief was embarrassingly audible in the quietness of the room. She stepped forward toward the desk as her youngest brother towered over her. She glanced up and gave him a gentle sort of grin. "You like Sakura, don't you?"

Gaara turned his glare fully on Kankuro. It seemed his suspicions of his brother's unreliability were correct. But Temari's voice drew his attention back to her. She said, "You do, don't you? We haven't told anyone—"

"Bullshit!" he spat. Normally, he would not have reacted in such a harsh manner, but Gaara felt betrayed and embarrassed. Kankuro had promised not to tell anyone how he felt about Sakura—Gaara felt it was humiliating enough for even him to know. Temari recoiled, but her hurt expression quickly turned stony. Gaara growled in shame and turned away. He hated to lose his temper with his sister. She and Kankuro were perhaps the most loyal companions he had.

Temari ignored his outburst and continued defensively, "We didn't tell her, Gaara. Sakura doesn't know."

At this, the youngest brother turned back to face them. "Why did she come here, then?" he asked defiantly. "Why did she say the things she did? Why did she—" He did not want to continue. He was acting childish. Where had the Kazekage gone? Where was calm, calculated, contemplative self?

Temari's expression softened. She reached out a hand to touch him on his arm. He did not pull away, but instead embraced the comforting pressure of her touch. "She kissed you, didn't she?" she asked quietly.

Gaara felt his jaw become rigid and his expression hard. They had known all along. He felt as though his privacy had been invaded. To find out that others knew about what had happened between he and Sakura disgusted him. Did have no more right to privacy anymore? It felt shameful to feel so exposed.

Kankuro took Gaara's silence as an affirmation, and he stepped forward with a grin. "Yeah!" He laughed and threw his hands in the air in triumph. "She came, she kissed, she conquered!"

Temari was smiling as well but shared a look with Kankuro that silenced him. Gaara sat back down in his chair and said nothing to either of them. They had known everything; it had all been planned. But why had Sakura agreed to it? Why had she asked him specifically not to be angry? Why had she mentioned that he should be confident and stay relaxed?

He growled and turned his back to his siblings. "Why did she do it if you claim she didn't know?" he asked quietly.

Temari inhaled deeply and replied with hesitance. "It was supposed to be a lesson," she whispered, "She didn't tell you that?"

Gaara felt anger rumbling within him. That was it; that was the clue he'd been missing earlier. "A lesson?" he growled, "To show me how to kiss? To expose my derisory abilities?" His sand was twitching beneath him. The truth they had confessed insulted him as both a leader and as a man. He absolutely detested the feeling of failure or inability. He felt he wanted to strangle something—anything in anger.

"No, man," Kankuro said quickly. He stepped forward defensively, preparing as best he could for the strike he felt was sure to come. Temari, too, was also prepared. Gaara could sense the building of their chakras, inebriated though he knew they were. "Listen, Gaara," his brother continued, "The idea of a lesson was only an excuse. Sakura wouldn't have done it if she hadn't wanted to."

At this, Gaara stilled. He thought it might've been a bit of an exaggeration, but the idea calmed him nonetheless. It was true; surely if Sakura had truly disliked him, she would not have submitted to the idea of a kissing lesson, even if she had been drinking. And at the very least, Gaara now understood her earlier comments: she'd simply been giving him instructions as though he was her pupil. He felt suddenly very ignorant, and he sat in silence and shame for several seconds.

As the time ticked by and Gaara said nothing in response, Temari took the opportunity to proceed with the negotiations. "Why was she upset when she left?" she asked carefully.

Gaara inclined his head towards her but did not answer immediately. The memories of what happened before and after the kiss were still not completely clear in Gaara's mind. He knew he hadn't really spoken to Sakura, except to tell her to call him by his first name. At the time his thought processes had still been too jumbled to function coherently.

"I suppose," he said as he slowly considered the question, "She was embarrassed." He nodded thoughtfully. Yes, that must've been it. While she kissed him, he had been too shocked to engage, and afterwards he had acted brusquely. She must've been hurt by his reaction to her. He'd avoided eye contact and barely acknowledged what she'd done at all. Naturally, she must've assumed he was angry with her. She'd recoiled in humiliation and tried as best she could to escape quickly.

Gaara sighed wearily and rubbed the stubble on his chin. The more he thought about it, the worse it made him feel. The kiss they'd shared was… practically nothing. But it hadn't been completely void of feeling, right? Otherwise, what reason would Sakura have to be so upset? A whole new wave of disgrace washed over him. He'd hurt her tonight. Unintentionally, perhaps, but the deed was done all the same.

Temari relaxed her defensive stance and walked slowly around the desk. She knelt down beside Gaara's chair, remaining mindful of the now motionless sand scattered about his feet. "Don't worry about it, ok?" she said softly. "You got the chance to kiss the girl you like, right? And remember, she wouldn't have done it if she didn't want to."

Gaara knew her words were meant in comfort, but they did little to penetrate the solid mass of guilt and embarrassment in the pit of his stomach. Kankuro and Temari had no way of knowing what had really happened. They didn't know how awfully he'd treated her, how he hadn't even participated in the 'lesson'. There was no escaping what had happened between them.

Gaara looked down at Temari and then slowly over to Kankuro. They meant well, he knew. On the one hand, he was angry that he'd been tricked and betrayed, yet on the other, he knew they'd played an important part in tonight's events. Temari was right: he'd had a chance to finally indulge in the one woman he'd been trying to deny himself. The fact that that chance was now lost was his fault, not theirs.

He felt a horrible ache in his chest, but he forced himself to harden against it. He locked his jaw, tensed his expression, and stood slowly. Temari jolted backward as his sand retreated back into its place of residence. With a formal nod to both of them, he retrieved his gourd and swung it on his back. "This discussion is over and will not be spoken of again." He spoke roughly. "Is that understood?"

Temari opened her mouth to protest, but Kankuro placed a hand on her arm to quiet her. Solemnly, he nodded.

Gaara swallowed thickly, sickened with himself in every possible way. "I'm going to clear my head," he gruffed. He left his siblings standing meekly in the dark of his empty office, wondering if they'd done the right thing, or if they had forever damaged their fragile little brother.

Thank you all for reading my story. Please leave a review, if you like it.

Humbly yours,

Olly