Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Hot Sand ❯ Giving ( Chapter 14 )

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Hot Sand

by thatreevesgirl

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Author's Notes: Hi everyone, you might have noticed that there are less chapters than last time you checked out Hot Sand. That is because I am currently doing a rewrite of it…lots of editing and making stuff longer and better development. So far Chapters 1-4 have become chapters 1-2, and have gone through some significant edits (like better, longer lemons and fixed dialogue). The rest of the chapters will be edited too, but I have the feeling that you guys would rather see new stuff, rather than edits. Therefore, I'll wait until Hot Sand is finished to keep editing.

 

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Chapter 13: Giving

 

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The sun was beginning to dip low between the far-off desert hills, painting the Suna sky vibrant hues as day melted away into a dusky twilight. Kankuro and Sakura stood at the edge of town and waited for Gaara and Naruto to show up. The group was going to leave for Konoha tonight after the Kazekage insisted that both Sakura and Kankuro be present as he and Naruto announced the new peacekeeping envoy that they were planning to the populace of Leaf.

 

“Are you excited?” Kankuro asked the kunoichi as he stood behind Sakura with his arms wrapped around her waist.

 

Sakura nodded and leaned back, molding her body to the puppet-nins. She was secretly glad that Naruto and Gaara were running late, she liked spending time with Kankuro, which was probably a good thing seeing as they would have nothing but time with one another in the coming months.

 

Kankuro lipped the ridge of Sakura's ear and whispered romantic things that made her smile and blush. Damn he could be charming, so wonderfully and completely charming that Sakura lost herself to him whenever she was near Kankuro. Sakura pulled away from the shinobi just enough so that she could turn her body to face him, quickly returning to the embrace as they continued to watch the sunset.

 

As beautiful as nature was tonight, Kankuro found the kunoichi in his arms much more appealing. Sakura's pink hair was tied up in a long braid, and ignoring Sakura's objection (since they would be traveling soon, and it was hard to run with waist length hair whipping around your head) Kankuro pulled off the string that held it together and started to unlace the careful strands until Sakura's hair billowed in the desert's cool winter breeze.

 

Kankuro's fingers, known to make even the most delicate of strings dance and play at his whim, now turned their attention to weaving through silky pale pink locks. Sakura's eyes fluttered shut as she allowed Kankuro to caress her softly, hoping that Naruto and Gaara never showed up, and that she and this wonderful man could have the night all to themselves.

 

“Where are you staying when we get to Konoha?” Sakura asked quietly.

 

Kankuro shrugged, “The guest quarters in the Hokage Tower I suppose.”

 

“Would you like to stay with me instead? My apartment isn't as nice as the Hokage Tower, but it would give us some privacy,” Sakura suggested as she nuzzled her face into the crook of Kankuro's neck.

 

“You don't think that would be moving too fast?”

 

Kankuro was of course teasing. The puppet-nin had missed Sakura, especially being intimate with her. The only time they had been together was the very first night of the whole fiasco, during Temari's wedding. Since then it had only been a long, nightmarish game of waiting for Kankuro. The Sand shinobi craved having Sakura in his bed again, or her bed as it was kindly offered.

 

Sakura kissed Kankuro's neck with soft fleeting touches of her lips, stopping to reply to his joking banter. “Not too fast at all, unless you like the idea of celibacy, seeing that you've been practicing it for the last month or so according to Naruto.”

 

“Did my brother tell him that? Nosey little bastards,” Kankuro grumbled, not liking the fact that Gaara had a fondness for going around and telling everyone's most embarrassing secrets.

 

“I take it that you want to break your little dry spell?” Sakura asked with a smirk that spelled trouble.

 

“Yes, the moment we arrive in Konoha we are going to go to your apartment and I am going to show you exactly how much I missed you,” Kankuro whispered in Sakura's ear, letting his warm breath ghost over her.

 

The night air was always chilly during Suna's winter, but since the two ninja's bodies were pressed flush against one another the warmth that they shared kept the cold at bay. Kankuro dipped his head just a bit and claimed Sakura's lips, the first truly passionate kiss they had shared in months. Slowly and deliberately Kankuro's mouth fed on the electricity that was mingling between them, thoroughly enjoying Sakura to the fullest as he tasted every millimeter of her lips and tongue with his own. If Gaara wouldn't have killed him for not meeting up with them at the designated spot, Kankuro would have drug Sakura back to the mansion and had his way with her immediately.

 

“I think we might have to worry about them actually doing their jobs on their mission,” came a highly amused male voice behind Kankuro and Sakura, which belonged to a certain blond Hokage.

 

Sakura broke away from the kiss and was met with the sight of Naruto and Gaara. Gaara was carrying several larger bags with him, tossing one to Kankuro. The puppet-nin gave his brother a very confused look, because usually Gaara traveled excessively light, not bothering to bring anything extra with him on trips.

 

“What's with all the crap?” Kankuro asked as he lugged the heavy bag onto his shoulder along with his own pack.

 

The look in Gaara's eyes was positively evil, mostly because the secret that he still had was bound to shock his brother completely, something that the Kazekage loved doing. “I won't be back to Suna for awhile,” he informed Kankuro.

 

“Um, Gaara, I'm leaving for my mission when we get back from the Chunin exams, you have to return to Suna as soon as they are over.” Kankuro didn't want to tell his brother what he could and couldn't do, he was an adult after all, but Gaara had responsibilities to fulfill. The Kazekage couldn't just go prancing about the land with his boyfriend as he pleased, Suna wasn't like Konoha, there was no second person to fill the vacancy when the Kazekage left.

 

“I'm not returning, Kankuro, except to visit from time to time,” Gaara said with a glint of devious glee seeping into his expression.

 

“Who the hell is going to run the village when you are gone?” Kankuro argued, hoping that yelling might knock some sense into his little brother's empty skull.

 

“Temari.”

 

Kankuro was shocked. Temari was going to run Suna? Well, she had been the one that did most of the work before she got married and dragged away to Konoha, but still…none of this made sense.

 

“I'm moving to Konoha to be with Naruto and to become his advisor, Temari has been named the next Kazekage. It's already been approved by the council of elders.” Kankuro and Sakura watched as Naruto wrapped his arm around Gaara's waist and held him while beaming proudly at his lover.

 

“We're getting married,” Naruto added with a foxy grin.

 

Both Sakura and Kankuro's jaws hung loosely from their faces. Nothing had prepared them for the thought of Naruto and Gaara joining together in matrimony. Marriage was sacred and a binding commitment, especially to the residents of Leaf. In Konoha it was even more serious than many of the other villages, leaving very little room for any sort of separation once a person had entered into that type of union with another person.

 

“Marriage, as in `I'm going to be with you till you die,' marriage?” Sakura stuttered, not believing the announcement of Naruto and Gaara's engagement.

 

Gaara nodded and picked up the rest of his bags, using his sand to carry one of the more heavy ones. “I'll send for the rest of my belongings after the exams, for now I would appreciate if you two would keep this quiet. We want to announce it on our own.”

 

Kankuro nodded and then smiled at his sibling, walking over and giving Gaara a slap on the back as any good brother would. He was happy for Gaara, even if he was getting hitched to that annoying Hokage. The smile soured as Kankuro thought harder about the entire situation.

 

“Why don't I get to be Kazekage?”

 

Gaara shook his head, the red-head knew that this might be a sore point with Kankuro. “Do you really want to be Kazekage? You hate meetings, people, and all of the work that goes along with the position, wouldn't you be happier spending your time with Sakura on your mission?”

 

Glancing over to the kunoichi, Kankuro carefully weighed the facts and realized that he would definitely rather be with Sakura on a peacekeeping envoy more than he would like to be stuck in Suna doing paperwork and meeting with elders. The title would have been nice, but the responsibility would be more trouble than it was worth. Kankuro decided it would be nice to have Temari home, and when he finally returned to Suna they would rule the village together as a family like they used to (well…minus Gaara, who would still be in Konoha).

 

“Fine,” Kankuro responded, “We should get going.”

 

“Yes, we should,” Naruto agreed as he gave Gaara a peck on the cheek and started walking toward the Konohan border. Sakura caught up with her friend and congratulated him on his engagement, which made Naruto smile. Gaara and Kankuro followed their significant others into the desert, grinning as they watched the two Leaf nin's they loved lead the way.

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The large gates of Konoha loomed over the group as they arrived just before sunrise. After traveling all night the four ninja were exhausted, especially since they had drug so much of Gaara's belongings with them. Naruto checked in with the guards at the security posts, taking the time to say hello and see how they were doing. The Hokage excelled at keeping good relations with his subordinates, always making sure they had everything needed to perform their jobs and that they were satisfied. A happy shinobi was more likely to give everything they could for Konoha than a dissatisfied one.

 

Waving them in, the guards smiled as the weary travelers entered Konoha. The two couples spoke for a moment and then parted ways, Gaara and Naruto heading for the Hokage tower, and Sakura and Kankuro going toward the kunoichi's apartment. Naruto smiled as he knew exactly why Kankuro was staying with Sakura. The Hokage couldn't have been happier either, because this meant perhaps Sakura's sewing hobby would die a silent and forgotten death as the kunoichi had no more reason to keep her mind occupied elsewhere.

 

“So are we going to actually sleep?” Naruto asked Gaara, secretly hoping that his lover would let him get some shuteye. There was only so much sleep deprivation the blond could take before he fell victim to boyfriend-induced fatigue…well, fiancé-induced, Naruto corrected himself. The Hokage had to get some rest, because they only had a short amount of time before leaving for the Chunin exams (tomorrow morning in fact), and Naruto still had to pull off his spectacular proposal which he had painstakingly planned in his head.

 

Gaara thought about Naruto's question for a moment before nodding his head. The ex-Kazekage was quite tired, and he was going to need some rest before going to speak with Temari. The two men headed to their now shared home to get some rest.

 

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Naruto woke at about two in the afternoon to find Gaara already gone, a note in his spot of the bed that told the Hokage that he had left to speak to Temari.

 

Perfect, Naruto thought, now I can finish getting ready for tonight.

 

Jumping up, feeling quite refreshed after nearly seven hours of sleep, Naruto stripped the clothing from his body and jumped in the shower. After washing himself clean, the Hokage dressed quickly and left to find Sakura. It wouldn't be too difficult to locate the kunoichi, seeing that Naruto's money was on her having not slept a wink since returning home. Naruto knew that she was probably naked in bed with Kankuro at this very moment, and he felt a bit guilty to be interrupting, but this was important.

 

Naruto knocked for the third time on Sakura's door, waiting patiently because he knew she was inside (the two ninja that occupied the apartment were just a bit busy according to the muffled sounds that filled the apartment complex's hallway). There was a steady silence and then Naruto heard shuffling by the door, which opened to reveal a very annoyed looking Sakura wrapped in a sheet.

 

“What in the hell do you want?” she hissed at Naruto.

 

“I need a favor, remember…we talked about this on the way back from Suna,” he said with an irresistible grin.

 

Sakura sighed, she had promised to do something for Naruto, but the kunoichi still had no idea what that something was. “What do you need me to do?” she asked.

 

“First, you've had enough sex for one day, get some sleep. When you get a few hours of rest I need you to gather the important members of Kohoha together for a little impromptu party. It's important because I'm going to announce my peacekeeping campaign.” Naruto leaned in close to Sakura and whispered the next part, “And I'm going to propose to Gaara there as well.”

 

Sakura was confused, “You two are already engaged, why do you need to propose again?”

 

“He asked me the first time, and now I want to ask him. It's really important Sakura, please?”

 

The way Naruto was looking at her, with those big blue puppy-dog eyes made Sakura want to punch him, mostly because she could never turn her friend down when he gave her that look. “Sure Naruto, whatever you need.”

 

“Thanks Sakura, you're the best,” he told her and kissed her forehead. “Really, lay off the sex, you'll become an addict.”

 

“Oh, you mean like you and Gaara?” the kunoichi teased. “You're right, I certainly wouldn't want that to happen.”

 

Naruto rolled his eyes as his friend shooed him away and shut the door behind her. Running off, the Hokage knew there were more things that he needed to do, mostly some shopping and a few errands before the party. Gaara was going to be so surprised.

 

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Temari was rather happy to see Gaara standing on the steps of her house, and greeted her little brother with a big hug. The red-head maintained his normal disinterested look, but he was very glad to see his sister as well, and this was shown by the ever so slight return squeeze that he gave her.

 

“Come in,” Temari told Gaara, pulling him inside. After taking off his boots and the cloak that the he added to his ensemble for warmth, Gaara wandered further into the house that his sister and her husband shared. Shikamaru was sitting on a chair in the living room reading a pile of scrolls that were obviously important mission reports, as most were still sealed with booby traps and various other methods to keep unwanted eyes out.

 

“Hi, Gaara,” Shikamaru greeted his brother-in-law, returning his attention quickly to the work in front of him.

 

Gaara had forgotten what a high ranking shinobi Shikamaru was, though it wasn't that difficult to do when you considered how the jonin acted most of the time. For this Gaara was glad, Shikamaru would make a fine addition to the ninja in Sand. It was likelihood that the jonin would end up being a Konoha representative, working for both villages after moving to Suna, but that was probably more beneficial for all parties involved.

 

Temari, playing the good hostess, offered Gaara some tea which she had already been preparing for her and Shika. The Kazekage graciously accepted, seating himself in a comfortable looking chair by the fireplace. Like Temari, Gaara wasn't too keen on the cold weather of Konoha, but it didn't bother him as much as it did his sister. The fact that there was a light layer of powdery snow on the ground only added to the enchantment of the beautiful village hidden amongst the trees in Gaara's opinion.

 

Temari handed her brother a mug and sat in the chair next to him, giving Gaara a warm smile. “So, what brings you here?”

 

“I have a request and favor to ask of you,” he replied, sipping the tea slowly, reveling in the nutty and fragrant flavor. Temari always made the best tea.

 

Gaara's sister looked confused, “And what would that be?”

 

“You have been named Kazekage, I need you to return to Suna and rule,” was the casual and nonchalant reply from the former Kazekage.

 

Temari choked, nearly dropping the mug she was drinking from. A scroll plopped onto the floor and unraveled as a wide-eyed Shikamaru was now focusing his attention on Gaara completely.

 

“I've been what?” Temari asked after regaining her composure.

 

“You are the Kazekage, I gave up the position to come to Konoha to be Naruto's main advisor,” Gaara continued without a hint of extra emotion. His face remained stoic and focused as it always did. “And I'm getting married.”

 

“To Naruto?” Shikamaru sputtered.

 

“No, to Kankuro,” Gaara replied sarcastically, raising an eye in disdain at the stupid question that the Leaf jonin had asked.

 

Shikamaru gave Temari a confused look, until she replied with a giggle, “He's joking, Shika.”

 

Shikamaru shook his head and bent down to gather up the scroll he'd dropped. Rolling it back up, the jonin placed a seal on it and then joined the conversation that his wife and her brother were having.

 

“So I will be named the Kazekage?” Temari asked, still confused to why and how this was all happening.

 

“No, you are already Kazakage.”

 

Shikamaru was in shock, “My wife is the Kazekage?”

 

Gaara smirked at the two confused ninja, and replied succinctly, “Yes.”

 

Temari just sat quietly for a moment and let the situation sink in before grinning at her brother in a way that spoke just how much she loved the idea, “I'm the Kazekage.”

 

 

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END OF CHAPTER

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A/N's: I'm tired and can't write anymore right now, so I shall post this. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, no sex, maybe next chapter. As I delve more into the plot, there will be less lemons, but you guys will live. You can go reread the ones I edited if you're hard up for some Gaara/Naruto loving.