A/N at the end.

Chapter 15

"Come in."

The voice from the other side of the door bid her for entrance. Balancing the binders in her arms, Sakura then pushed open the door into the spacious oval room that was the Hokage's office. The clicks of her heels against the ground as she treaded into the space, along with the light bang of the closing door, announced her arrival; but the man behind the desk hasn't lifted his eyes from the documents on his desk to her.

The absence of a greeting didn't bother Sakura. A small smile emerged from her, as she opted to wait patiently for acknowledgment. The view facing her was one too common for her, one she beheld with fondness.

Back bent forward while seated in his chair, the blond man cycled through a pattern of jotting down notes on the margins of his papers, pausing with his eyes squinting at the lines of texts, then scribbling his signatures on the pages. His left palm pressed into his puckered forehead, fingers rubbing against his hairline in rounds and smoothing out the pointy ends of his choppy short mane in the process. Sheets of stationery from the towers of paperwork continued to sift through the space in front of him then to the pile on his right like a systematized assembly line. Amid his concentration, his slouch only deepened, as though a world of responsibilities had borne down on his shoulders.

Feelings of nostalgia washed over Sakura. For one of her most precious persons, this setting perhaps was the most evident part of his growing up, more than how he'd filled out his height and lost every trace of childishness from his features. And to think the man before her was the boy who'd gone around tooting his own horn (maybe rightfully so, even if she was reluctant to admit) about how he'd perfected those perverted jutsu of his—the same boy whose face now had been modeled onto the side of the mountain that overlooked Konoha, in line with the head sculptures of other revered leaders of the past…

"Ah, Sakura-chan! Sorry about—ack!"

The acknowledgment she'd been expecting turned into some dexterity test of sort for the said blond, as he hurried to steady the teetering cup of instant ramen his elbow had bumped while simultaneously swiping his computer keyboard along with some papers out of the impact zone. Successfully preventing a little mishap that was bound to give him headaches later, he released a sigh of relief and angled his face at her. With a sheepish grin, he finished his apology, "Sorry, Sakura-chan…"

"It's alright." Some things never change, Sakura shook her head with mirth and proceeded to lay out the reason for her visit. "Here are the hospital's quarterly reports, Naruto."

Rising from his seat, the beaming blond was quick to her side to help with the weighty stack of binders. Effortlessly transferring the files from her grip onto his desk, he slumped back into his chair and began leafing through the pages of content.

"You don't have to always trouble yourself to deliver these, ya know," Naruto murmured, though sounding more absent by the second as his eyes scanned a particular table of numerical figures.

He was right, and Sakura understood the implication behind his remark. It'd been a topic of occasional debates between the two. After the war, she was in high prospect to become the director of Konoha Hospital. Instead she'd settled for a part-time position with flexible work schedule at the hospital so she could prioritize her family, much to the Nanadaime's sympathetic lament. Naturally, running trivial errands like a messenger between the hospital and the Kage Tower seemed undignified for a shinobi of her rank…

"I know, but I want to…" Sakura replied softly, letting her smile brighten even if it didn't reach the person she'd meant it for. She never minded the legwork, truthfully, for she needed the opportunity to see a dear friend whom she so rarely saw nowadays outside these walls.

Silence soon surrounded her again. The concentrating male so easily delved back into his ritual, and Sakura was content just to watch him a few minutes longer before having to take her leave; and of course, in case he had questions to follow up on the reports. But what'd ensued a turn of page in his perusing was far from related to the subject of the hospital's operations:

"So I heard Sarada's been training with Gaara."

Sakura stiffened. "How—"

The pitch of her voice came out too high to be like her. Lucky for her that the Leaf's leader still had his head down, so she could hide the surprise that washed her face blank. Clearing her throat through a faked cough, she had to ground herself.

"How did you know?" She exuded calmness this time around, but her mouth was set in a tight line at the thought that she was so easily spooked by a comment that didn't necessarily implicate anything. Maybe it just went to show how the consciousness of her moral guilt was ever-present…

"Boruto told me. I hear she's been doing great in their spar sessions."

Finally, the blond wandered his eyes back to her. "How did that arrangement come up? I didn't know you two were close."

Oh you have no idea… Her inner self sneered, and Sakura had to mentally kick herself for being blithe in this situation.

"It's…" outwardly, she drawled, buying time for her brain to scramble up an acceptable explanation. "…a long story…" She offered lamely.

"Oh? Tell me about it."

She bit the inside of her cheek as the Hokage laced his fingers together in front of him, and he looked as ready as any time for a short break from his work. His perfect sky blue eyes twinkled with fascination, and Sakura internally cursed herself for not bolting earlier and cursed the seemingly infinite amount of attention her friend now invested in her instead of the reports.

At this point in time, Naruto's display told her it was merely curiosity on his part. Whether she should or not, she intended to keep the sentiment that way. The cogs in her head turned faster, just as her heart raced. Each second that the man spent surveying her with wonder was a second too long when she had yet to speak anything intelligible. Mouth gone dry, she was exasperated. That big brain of hers that she was known for, it was miserably failing her in making up a cover story.

"Um…" She consciously pushed the strands of her hair behind her ear as though the action would somehow buffer the creeping awkwardness that was really one-sided.

A couple of knocks came to the door to interrupt the conversation that hasn't, fortunately, gone anywhere. Both heads of pink and gold turned toward the entrance in time to see a subordinate peek in, his tentative glance shifted from Sakura to the head of the village who sat behind the mahogany desk.

"My apologies to disturb you, Hokage-sama, but there's a time-sensitive matter that requires your attention…" By then, the shinobi whose identity was lost on Sakura had slid his full body into the room.

The manner in which the newcomer trailed off was enough for her to look forward to her much needed dismissal from the Hokage's office. It was only a second later when Naruto cued in an apologetic tone, "Sorry, Sakura-chan, looks like we'll have to save the chat for another time."

Nodding simply, Sakura didn't show that she was more than relieved.

"Good morning, Sakura-san!"

"Morning." Sakura returned the cheerful greeting from the hospital's receptionist. An unceremonious yawn escaped her just then, as she couldn't restrain it.

"You seem tired lately," the young woman behind the counter immediately noted.

"Yeah, a few late-nights, that's all," Sakura admitted, while trying to blink away the tears from her eyes.

As if prompted by her own comment, she took a sip of the warm coffee from the thermo that she'd brought with her from home. Her lips pursed tightly from the bitterness that was yet to leave the tip of her tongue even after the liquid had gone down her throat. She hasn't grown a taste for the particular beverage, but some days it was the necessary fuel to revive her in the early hours. Today she was running on low battery; her morning was preceded by a night when she was kept up long past her reasonable bedtime.

During her nightly rendezvous with her male companion, she'd come to learn that insomnia was a recurring episode for him, though it was hardly an astonishing discovery judging by the appearance of his charcoal-rimmed eyes. Naturally, she insisted her medical expertise upon him. From his part, however, he had other interests to take advantage of his wakefulness than to become her after-hour patient. When his hands began doing wonderful things again and his kisses weakened her, her dismay at his apathy toward his condition was only fleeting before she willingly played into the plans he had for the both of them…

So yes, she was just as to blame for contributing to her own fatigue. And having to rush home on days like this before her absence was noticed and getting breakfast on the table was challenging; when added all up it was proven to be a tad too much for her body to want to cooperate.

"Take care of yourself, Sakura-san."

The friendly voice dragged Sakura out of her thoughts, and she smiled gratefully at her junior. "Thanks, I will."

After bidding a good day for the staff at the front desk, Sakura started on her path down the hallway to the lab. Reaching only a short distance away from the main reception, her feet braked. Her brain recalled in that moment that she needed to check with the receptionists if there were any messages from the Hokage's office regarding the reports she'd delivered the other day. Sighing at her own forgetfulness, she turned to retrace her steps back to the lobby; but no sooner did she make it around the corner to the reception area, she wished that she hasn't…

"Hey, did you hear? Sakura-san is secretly seeing the Kazekage."

The whisperings, so scandalous in their nature, caused Sakura to jerk to a halt. And her first instinct was to duck her body behind the wall. Her back pressed against the hard surface, her head craned in an uncomfortable angle, she strained to catch the words not meant for her hearing; ironically going against her general aversion to eavesdropping.

"What? The Kazekage? Of Sunagakure?"

In her still form her heart sped faster, incensed by feelings crossing between nervousness, worry, and exasperation.

"That's absurd," another exclaimed, disbelief in her tone.

"Well, you heard her. She's been having 'late nights.' With her husband always away, I wouldn't be surprised." Along with a sly giggle, the same voice that'd greeted Sakura earlier turned conspiratory.

"Don't say such inappropriate things…" the young assistant's peer chided, but Sakura couldn't bring herself to be thankful that the other showed more restraint in feeding material into the topic. Her grip on her coffee bottle tightened, knuckles turning white. With her little tolerance for the whole "talking behind one's back" business, Sakura was close to give in to her urge to stomp over and give the receptionists a lecture or two.

Unable to will her legs to move, however, she remained in her spot. She couldn't settle on a resolute action, as she thought about what she would say to her accusers. So she could only continue to stay silent and still, even long after the chattering between the women had digressed from the gossip of the day to the up-and-coming actor in a recent popular soap opera.

In the face of these rumors, she'd become non-confrontational. Sakura fell sullen, finally peeling herself from the wall and relenting to just walking away.

How could she deny it? How could she do so with any ounce of righteousness… when it was all indeed her reality?

Hot lips caressed her from her cheek down to her collarbone, and her brain fogged up. Right now, she wished nothing more than to immerse herself in the passionate moment that was pure emotions, no thinking. Yet, in the next minute, her head cleared up to the uneasy recollection of an earlier event in the day. And just like this, her senses alternated through tides of extremes: A kiss, fiery and demanding, meant blissful oblivion; and a look at the man sharing space under her blanket, redheaded and teal-eyed, brought about alarming awareness that'd always hung around within her subconscious.

Sakura couldn't figure out whether the loving ministrations from her partner were distracting her from her pestering thoughts, or the latter ones were distracting her from getting her fill of instant gratification. To keep balancing herself between her physical satisfaction and mental stress was bound to be unhealthy, and she thought she ought to preserve her sanity.

It wasn't something she wanted to address, but she was often a prisoner to her worrisome tendency. Given the choices between keeping quiet and voicing out, the second option was probably the lesser of the two evils, especially if there was a chance that the other person could assuage her anxiousness. So Sakura took the opportunity when her lips were freed to make her concerns known.

"I overheard rumors about us from the hospital staff…" Mentally detaching herself from the physical interaction for a second, she spoke up to reference the incident from the morning. Her awkward voice was representative of her lack of readiness to talk about the issue at hand. Her eyes traveled to the ceiling, as she became absorbed in her own question. "…where do you think they got it from? I thought we were being careful…"

She wasn't sure if it was because her head was too occupied with going over every possible slip-up she might have committed to become the latest prey of the town's rumormongers, or just the sheer unexpectedness of what her addressee muttered, it took her a couple of unsure blinks before she could finally register his flippant response:

"Let them talk. I don't care."

Sakura had to meet him squarely in the eyes to make sure he'd meant what he so casually said, but she wasn't given the time to see into the state of mind behind those infuriatingly alluring jade orbs before she was muffled with his warm mouth. "But—mmm…"

Impatience seemed to lace his words and movements, and Sakura wondered if it had anything to do with the fact that he was leaving in the morning to return to his home, one that was thousands of miles away beyond the horizon, in the vast desert that stretched between the ends of the Land of Wind.

And heaven knew when she'd be able to see him the next time…

"At least it will help quell the rumors about me being asexual." He'd delivered another blasé remark before moving away from her face and deciding that her neckline needed his attention.

The double take from her was inevitable, as she was caught off-guard by what she could only assume was his atypical humor, which was sometimes at odds with her perception of him.

What? The desire for more details was strong; given that sort of statement, there had to be an undoubtedly entertaining story somewhere. But Sakura squashed the temptation to ask, not wanting to get them off on a tangent. It was already hard enough to concentrate, with the way he was ravaging that sensitive spot of hers below the jaw…

With clenched teeth and an insistent nudge against his chest, Sakura created a few inches of gap between them. "Gaara, I'm being serious! What if we are found out?"

"So what," his momentarily quizzical gaze boring into hers, Gaara said simply.

"So what?" Is he kidding?

Sakura pinched her brows together, and her expression fell flat while she tried to justify her cause for worry. "For one, you are the Kazekage, and I'm…" She found herself unable to touch on the unspoken taboo.

Remaining separated and unmoving, the redhead above her decided to respect the distance she'd put in between them, and apparently as well as the apprehension she'd confided in him. A slow sigh escaped from him, one that made her feel like all the passions had been doused out.

Quietly but determinedly, Gaara shared his perspective: "Sakura, I'm no stranger to ridicules…"

Ignoring the rueful frown that sprang up from her, he persisted, "But had I based my every decision at the pleasure of others, I wouldn't amount to what I am now, this I can attest to you. My life is mine alone to lead; I do not owe my actions to those who knew not my experiences or my struggles yet chose to pass judgments at their leisure."

And the recipient of his impromptu speech could only goggle, overtaken by the kind of insight that'd reduced her to a silly school girl who was overly concerned about her reputation. Once again, his maturity was beyond her. Although true might his words be as general life advice, Sakura wasn't sure they were exactly applicable to their situation, at least not from where she was coming from. But she thought she could see what he was trying to convey:

What we have, they don't understand…

"Yeah, but…"

I don't understand…

The rumors weren't the underlying problem, really. She needed to scratch deeper if she wanted to get to the core of the issue…

"Do you want us to stop?"

Sakura hasn't realized she'd lost her focus from her companion until her eyes snapped back to him to catch a hint of what looked like sobering in those jade pools. Along with his question, the hand that was deliberately hiking up her thigh stopped in its advance.

"N-no." Abashedly, she shook her head.

In the same instant, she cringed to herself. Not even a pause for consideration to her answer, and she had to think if her pride was a casualty of making her misdeeds a habit.

"Tell me what you want then," he trailed with another demand. The increasing seriousness in his tone was not missed.

Sakura swayed. Her over-thinking was ruining the moment, and she needed to get them back to it.

There was so much she wanted… In this moment, however, to the one who indulged her in all her wicked wants, she could ask but one thing…

"Make me feel good," she breathed out heavy and low, her nerves heightened from how his fingertips stalled at the hem of her underwear that was sticking, yet to leave it alone.

So she chose to lead with her forwardness in these few instances. At her blunt command, Gaara parted his lips slightly, showing indeed that this wasn't a response he'd expected. His glacial eyes met hers in a brief open stare before a glint swirled through the blue-green hue.

"As you wish..." As powerful a man he was, before her, he submitted.

One look at his now hooded eyes, her breath caught in her throat. Sakura swallowed thickly, when the fingers at her waist tugged the band of her panties downward and the body covering her began to drift southbound, his unbroken gaze enthralling her as did his slow tantalizing descent to her lower half.

She spasmed at the first contact, wet warmth worming into dripping heat, and she could no longer keep focus on the head of red nestled between her legs. Falling into the sensation that was taking over, she was convinced that there was no use talking about it, no point drawing the line...

Tonight.

For their now was a given, and the consequences of tomorrow were only in her head.

A/N: I'm shameless. So a smudge of NaruSaku here, I guess (?), if you squint hard enough and maybe even tilt your screen sideways lol. :P

The last part of this chapter is a tribute to The Chainsmokers' song Side Effects, which was on repeat during my writing session; which, incidentally, also made me end this chapter on a slightly different note than was originally intended.