CHAPTER FOUR

The feeling of extreme mortification washed over Sakura as if the only escape route was the ground opening up to swallow her whole. She thought to herself incredulously, "What on earth is this situation?" She stood before Gaara in a T-shirt that barely covered her thighs. This was not how she had envisioned her official meeting with the Kazekage to go. She hadn't even known that he lived here. Shouldn't the Kazekage have a separate residence? Then she recalled Temari's words, "We live here too." Of course, that included him. Sakura mentally slapped herself. This was so not in the right state of mind or circumstance to meet Gaara.
In the faint moonlight that filtered through the window, she could make out his customary Kazekage attire, complete with his sand gourd on his back, as always. She briefly wondered if he carried it everywhere with him. Gaara appeared taller and more imposing than she remembered. The awkward silence hung in the air, and she felt her cheeks burning with an intense blush, the kind that would rival even Hinata's.
He cleared his throat, breaking the silence. "Sakura Haruno...?" he began, and it sounded more like a question.
Trying to ease the tension, she chuckled nervously. "That's me, in the flesh... I'm really sorry for intruding in your living room like this. I was just incredibly thirsty." She inwardly cursed her own rambling. Great, she thought, now he probably thinks I'm stupid.
The awkward silence that followed felt deafening. If Gaara was aware of her inner panic, he showed no sign of it. His face remained emotionless, and his intense seafoam eyes remained fixed on hers, which only served to unnerve her.
Maintaining eye contact had never been a big deal to Sakura, she did it daily as a doctor. However, with Gaara's piercing gaze on her, she found it nearly impossible to maintain eye contact. She quickly looked away, trying to focus on anything other than his face, though she couldn't help but silently admire his features. "When did Gaara get this handsome?" her inner voice commented. She shook off the thought. Focus, Sakura.
Gaara broke the silence, asking, "...Are the living arrangements to your liking?"
"Thank you, and yes, of course, it's great."
"Ahh…"
Sakura began fidgeting with the hem of her T-shirt and considered excusing herself. Conversations with Sasuke were not even this awkward, and that said something.
"We could go to the hospital tomorrow if you're okay with that... If you need to rest, it's fine; we could go some other time."
Sakura wasn't thrilled about spending more time with Gaara, but she had no choice, and she wanted to maintain a professional work ethic. "Of course, and tomorrow is fine. That's why I'm here." It felt odd having this conversation with Gaara in such a precarious position. This was probably the longest conversation they've ever had.
"We'll meet at my office at 10 a.m. I'll send someone to escort—"
"I know the way!" she blurted out, louder than intended. She quickly added, more softly this time, "I know the way to the tower, and I don't need an escort."
"I see... I'll excuse you then. Goodnight." Gaara nodded politely before turning and heading for the stairs.
Sakura released a breath she didn't realize she was holding and followed him to the stairs. His room just had to be upstairs too. She really had terrible luck.
She wondered why fate was so unkind before resigning herself to her situation and following the redhead. He looked back at her with a quizzical expression. She stared back at him, confused until it dawned on her that he was wondering why she was following him. She giggled in realization before explaining, "My room is upstairs. I guess we're floormates."
He seemed to smile a little before turning and continuing up the stairs. She found her room in the dim light, which allowed her to see Gaara stop in front of another door. She quickly entered her room and closed the door before he could catch her staring, although he probably already had.
She gazed at her bed, and there was no chance of sleep now. The recent events had left her wide awake and brimming with energy. She cast a glance at the enormous scroll she had brought with her. Originally, she had planned to unpack it the next day, but with nothing to do and an excess of energy, she decided to dive right in.
"Might as well get it over with," she muttered to herself before stretching and getting to work.
Examining her completed work, she couldn't help but grin, feeling a sense of accomplishment. The wardrobe was now packed to the brim. She had definitely brought too much, though. As exhaustion washed over her, she let out a yawn. She checked the time; if she slept now, she'd manage to get a solid four hours of rest. With that thought in mind, she switched off the light and collapsed face-down onto her bed, falling into a deep sleep.
Gaara perched on his windowsill, his gaze fixed on the night sky as he lost himself in thought. It was too late for anyone to be out on the streets, and even if they were, they wouldn't see him, thanks to the genjutsu that made his window appear empty. Not much surprised him because, frankly, human behavior was quite predictable. However, he had to admit that the encounter downstairs had caught him off guard even though he had made a conscious effort to conceal his surprise.
And then there were his siblings... he couldn't help but wonder if they had orchestrated this whole situation, especially Temari. At first, he didn't mind that they had brought their guest to his floor instead of the guest quarters. But they had four empty rooms downstairs so it made him suspicious. He briefly recalled his earlier conversation with his sister from earlier in the day.
"Gaara, where should we place the new guest when she arrives?" Temari asked.
"Anywhere you want," Gaara replied distractedly while jotting something down.
"Are you sure?"
He hated distractions and could feel his patience waning. "Do I need to spell it out for you?" he retorted through gritted teeth.
"Okay then," Temari chimed, and he might have noticed the excitement in her eyes and voice if he hadn't been so focused on his task.
Then, when he returned home, he found himself face to face with a girl with pink hair, Sakura Haruno. She was undeniably interesting, and the way she fidgeted under his gaze amused him. She was easy to read, making it clear that he made her uncomfortable, and maybe a bit nervous too. Perhaps it was a bit twisted, but he enjoyed making her uneasy; it was entertaining to watch her nervousness spiral.
"And her fucking sexy legs…" Shukaku added bluntly.
He let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. He had grown accustomed to Shukaku's directness, so it rarely surprised him. However, he had to agree, albeit with less aggression than the Ichibi inside him. Her legs were undeniably captivating, and he was, after all, a warm-blooded male. It would have been impossible not to notice her looks, especially with the moonlight enhancing her allure. He had never paid much attention to her before, not because he didn't care, but it was common knowledge she was in love with the Uchiha, although he didn't know if that held true currently. And not to mention, she had saved both his and his brother's lives without ever knowing them, a debt he could never truly repay.
A smirk crept onto his face as he gracefully leaped down from the windowsill, his sand catching him softly. He had a feeling that the days ahead would be filled with intriguing encounters.

Sakura's eyes fluttered open as she stretched, looking around in confusion for a moment. Her heart raced as she grabbed the small clock by the bed, and it read 9:10 am.
"Oh, shit, shit, shit!" she muttered under her breath as she hastily flung herself out of bed. She had exactly 30 minutes to get ready.
Without wasting a second, she dashed into the connecting bathroom and took the quickest shower of her life. Twenty-five minutes later, she was fully dressed and ready to go. Sakura put on her usual ninja attire, a pink tank top with slits on both sides and tight black shorts that stopped mid-thigh (similar to her outfit from the Fourth Great Ninja War). She didn't have time to style her hair, so she simply did a middle part and tied it low at the back. Satisfied with her look, she dashed out of the room.
It didn't take long for Sakura to realize that she was lost. As much as she hated to admit it, she couldn't believe that after bragging about knowing the way to the tower, she ended up getting lost. Today was definitely not her day. Maybe if she had known that the streets of Suna had been reformed and now resembled a complex maze, she would have prepared better.
Sakura sighed in frustration, receiving curious looks from villagers who either recognized her or were simply intrigued by the unfamiliar face in town. She was growing increasingly uncomfortable and agitated, realizing that she had about 15 minutes or less to reach the tower, and she was completely lost. There were plenty of shops lining the streets, so she decided to swallow her pride and ask for directions.
Upon entering the Kazekage's tower, a pretty girl with short brown hair, dark eyes, and fair skin greeted her.
"The Kazekage will see you shortly," she informed Sakura. "His meeting still has about 5 minutes before it ends." She smiled apologetically at Sakura before leading her to what looked like a waiting room.
"I'm Matsuri, by the way... Gaara's assistant," she added with a hint of pride, extending her hand for a handshake. Sakura chalked up the behavior to Matsuri's pride in her job, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Sakura, too, took pride in her own work. She smiled sweetly as she shook Matsuri's hand.
"Nice to meet you, Matsuri," she said, even though Matsuri probably already knew about her. It was polite to introduce yourself regardless. "I'm Sakura Haruno." Matsuri returned the smile, although it didn't quite reach her eyes.
"I know that, I've heard a lot about you," Matsuri said.
"Ohh...Good things I hope."

"I'll let you know when the meeting's over," Matsuri said ignoring Sakura and leaving the room.
Sakura settled into one of the incredibly soft and comfy wooden-padded chairs. Were all the furniture in Suna this comfortable? All in all, she was glad she arrived on time; she didn't want Gaara to see her as unprofessional. She took her job very seriously.
Her mind wandered back to the conversation with Matsuri. It had been strange. She hoped the girl didn't dislike her; it was too early to be making enemies. Sakura had no plans to make enemies soon. She hoped her stay in Suna would be fun, peaceful, and productive. Her thoughts then drifted back to Konoha and her friends. She already missed them. Ino was probably waking up with a killer hangover that girl had no chill and she was sure Naruto was eating his tenth plate ramen at Ichiraku's. She needed to remember to write to them regularly; otherwise, she'd never hear the end of it, especially from Ino and Naruto. While deep in thought, she fiddled with the bracelet on her arm, a gift from an old woman who had shown her directions to the tower. Coincidentally, the woman owned a jewelry store and insisted on gifting her a bracelet. Sakura had initially refused but eventually accepted it to not seem rude. The bracelet fit her perfectly, and she liked it.
Matsuri's voice cut through her thoughts as she stood by the doorway. "The Kazekage will see you now."
Sakura nodded and stood up, allowing Matsuri to lead the way. As they climbed the stairs, she noticed that the building had been significantly reformed and looked more refined. She was grateful Matsuri was there to lead the way; otherwise, she might get lost again, which would be embarrassing. She could see other ninjas coming and going, probably receiving or reporting on missions. It made her feel nostalgic.
Suddenly, Matsuri stopped, and Sakura almost bumped into her if she hadn't been paying attention. "I'll be stopping here. The office is straight ahead," Matsuri pointed in the direction.
Sakura nodded and said, "Thank you for your help. The building has changed a lot since the last time I was here. I would have gotten lost for sure."
"Gaara asked me to," Matsuri replied flatly before turning and leaving.
Okay, that girl clearly had something against her, but Sakura decided to deal with it later. She had more important things to focus on. She took a deep breath, preparing herself to knock on the massive oak door.
"Stop acting like you're about to step into the devil's lair...Kami... you're Haruno Sakura! Since when did you become a wimp?" Inner admonished.
Sakura smiled and knocked confidently on the door.
"Come in," she heard Gaara's deep voice respond.
Sakura sighed and turned the doorknob. This was going to be a long day.