Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Unraveling of a Dune ❯ Chapter 3

 

Unraveling of a Dune

PART III

By: emeraldoni

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

 

 

 

Sakura took a deep breath as she stared at the large, monstrous gates looming above her. The sun was shining, burning into skin more used to mild weather, and the wind bit into her, digging small particles of sand into her clothes. She was thoroughly uncomfortable. Oh, she could make the journey easy enough, but that didn't mean that she liked the way the sand found its way into seemingly every rumple in her clothes and crevice in her body. And the way her mind kept turning over all the possibilities, all the scenarios, every single nightmare that could ever come about, well… it was disconcerting, to say the least.

 

For a while, the Kunoichi had been able to stave off the slight fears that ran circles through her mind, but then she reached those almost terrifying gates of Suna, and it all came rushing back. She wanted to run, but she knew she couldn't. They had most likely spotted her miles away, and they probably knew who she was as well. Well, not her specifically, but from where she came from, at least. Gaara always made sure that his sentries knew what they were doing, especially after the incident a few years ago. They had a system that could rival even Konoha.

 

Yeah, it was definitely too late.

 

She stared mutely as a shinobi approached her, cautiously, of course, for you could never trust someone completely, even an ally, but his eyes held no malevolence.

 

“Leaf-nin! Do you carry a message?”

 

Sakura nodded slightly, holding a weathered scroll with the tell-tale seal as proof before her.

 

“It's from the Hokage, to the KazeKage.”

 

He lowered his head in a sort of respectful greeting, “Follow me.”

 

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Gaara was pacing again.

 

He was so restless. Every job seemed boring. Every responsibility was a waste of his time. It was ridiculous really; that he could be so affected by something, though he would never admit it. In fact, this was something he could completely refute. He was the KazeKage, he was powerful. Yet he fell prey to something so simple, something so confusing.

 

A knock at his office pulled him out of his thoughts, and a jounin walked in respectfully at the invite of Gaara.

 

“KazeKage-sama, there is a messenger from Konoha here to see you.”

 

Gaara was silent for a moment, his shadowed eyes staring impassively at the jounin. Most would be unnerved by that look, the one that revealed nothing, but the jounin held his own.

 

“Send him in, then.”

 

Gaara missed the amused twinkle in the jounin's eyes.

 

He turned back around, hands crossed before him as he stared out the giant windows. He was in a silent trance, of a sort. His mind had ventured to what had to be done, what he had neglected, why the messenger was here. Gaara didn't even turn to look at the person entering the room.

 

Their light footsteps padded about halfway across his way before they slowed to a stop. The person's breathing was calm, evened, and he found this a little odd, considering most were on high alert when in his vicinity. No matter, though, he would get this over with, and then get back to his duties.

 

“Gaara.”

 

His eyes widened as he heard the voice, and he whirled around quickly.

 

“Sakura.”

 

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“You know, I think meeting with them was much easier than I thought it would be.”

 

Gaara was silent, still a little ticked at the earlier meeting.

 

“I mean, it could have been much worse, right? They could have forgotten me, or not even cared. Or even worse, we might have been uncomfortable with each other.” Sakura shudder at the horrifying thought of an uncomfortable silence. She probably didn't realize, Gaara thought, that there was no such thing as silence when both she and Naruto were together.

 

“But it went well, don't you think.”

 

Gaara glared at the sky. They were currently lying on the top of a roof, though they had no idea whose. It was warm and comfortable and Sakura felt completely at peace, though the same couldn't be said for the young man beside her.

 

Gaara had never really had any personal problem with the young Uchiha, Sasuke, except for the challenge of a good fight, but somehow, seeing the boy Sakura used to love made him angry. Really angry.

 

Maybe there didn't seem to be any feelings now, other than friendship, but the jealousy was still there, hovering near the surface in the form of a bad mood. Not that Gaara would admit to jealousy, and he certainly wouldn't admit he was about ready to use his sand on the Kyuubi boy when he jumped on Sakura. She might not like that, and that would not be good.

 

“Hey, Gaara, you alright?”

 

He blinked as leaf-green eyes filled his vision, and would have pressed closer into the wall behind him if he could. Instead he just said flatly, “I'm fine.”

 

“You sure? Because you've been really quiet.”

 

“He shouldn't touch you like that.”

 

It was Sakura's turn to blink, “What?”

 

“Naruto. He shouldn't touch you like that.”

 

The kunoichi was still confused, “Like what?”

 

Gaara turned his head away from her.

 

“He was hugging you.”

 

She was silent for a moment, “Yeah… but were just friends. It's Naruto, for Kami's sake. I don't think he means anything by it.”

 

She was silent for a moment, then heaved a loud sigh, “Well… fine.”

 

And with that she reached over and hugged him. It was a little awkward, hugging him from the side, only linking her fingers on the other side kept them from falling. She rested her chin on his shoulder, then stared at him, as his face, frozen for a moment, finally relaxed.

 

“You know,” She whispered, and he was all too aware of the puff of breath against his ear, “I think I like hugging you better.”

 

His hands came up to clutch her arm and he lowered his head, taking comfort in the feel of another human's touch, which he rarely ever received. It was a disappointment when she pulled away.

 

“There. Now you don't have to be jealous anymore.”

 

His brow furrowed, “I was not jealous.”

 

Sakura let it go; only offering a knowing smile as she laid her head against his leather-clad shoulder.

 

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“So, apparently, I'm staying here for a while?”

 

“That is what the scroll said.”

 

“Uhm… Why?”

 

Gaara shrugged, “She said you needed to rest.”

 

Sakura scowled, “From what? I've been doing barely anything.” The hospital work, though boring, was easy. “And she only gave me that one mission, and that sure wasn't long or stressful.”

 

Gaara stayed silent.

 

“Well…” She sighed, “I guess I'll have to find a place to live.”

 

“You may stay here.”

 

Sakura cocked her head to side. It was late, maybe she misunderstood him. Or maybe he meant the office. Her certainly couldn't mean his home, could he? No, she just heard something different.

 

“What?”

 

“You may stay with me.”

 

“Oh. Okay.”

 

Gaara got up. He tucked the mussed piles of papers littering his desk into a drawer, and Sakura found it a little amusing that Gaara seemed to have absolutely no organization skills. After `cleaning up' Gaara walked to the door, obviously waiting for her.

 

She paused for a moment, then, slipping her hand into his, they left.

 

“Thanks.”

 

Oooo000OOO000oooO

 

His little suite wasn't nothing much. It was fairly large, but nothing extravagant. It was definitely simple considering his status as head of the village. There was a living room, with the regular furniture: an aged couch, a stained—but shiny—coffee table, a small TV, some pictures and dead plants. A doorway lead to the kitchen as well, which turned out to hold the same stature, though larger with a small table in it. Apparently it was the dining room as well. Sakura noticed that a thick layer of dust adorned the counter.

 

He showed her the bathroom, and then the bedroom. A large bed, which looked as neat as a pin, was in the center of the room, sharing the space with two beside tables and a dresser.

 

Gaara immediately headed towards the drawers and Sakura stood feeling slightly out of place as he shuffled through them. In no time at all though, a pair of clothes were shoved into her hands.

 

“You may wear these until you get more.”

 

She smiled, “Thanks.”

 

After taking a shower she went and found Gaara. He was sitting against a wall, on the floor, in the living room.

 

“Where do you want me to sleep?”

 

Gaara got up; eyes trained on her as he beckoned her to follow.

 

“You may sleep in the bed.”

 

She was shocked for a moment, then began to refuse, before promptly being interrupted.

 

“I never use it.”

 

Oh. Yeah. She had forgotten Gaara never slept. The reminder was blatantly obvious, just look at his eyes, but somehow that had slipped her mind.

 

“Okay.”

 

Before long she was situated comfortably in the overlarge bed, blankets wrapped around her. Gaara had turned off the light, but stayed with in the room, sitting against the wall just like he had been in the living room. For some reason that bothered her, that he was on the floor. After a few moments, she slipped her hand over the side of the bed, lazily stretching it in his direction.

 

“Gaara?” She asked timidly.

 

“Hm.”

 

“Could you come here?”

 

There was no sigh, or groan of annoyance from him as he got up, walking towards her. He was actually patient with her, though it was completely unexpected. He had never once seemed truly annoyed. She looked up at him, his eyes glowing oddly in the pale moonlight soaking through the window shades, and she grabbed his hand.

 

“Lay down, please?”

 

He was stiff for a moment, rigid even, and for a moment Sakura though he would refuse. Instead, he just let go of her hand, paced to the other side, the laid down, stiff as a plank, far away from her.

 

But as Sakura drifted into sleep, she grew warm from his body heat, and somehow they kept moving closer and closer. By the time morning had come, his arm was wrapped around her waist while they both slept soundly.

 

And nothing had happened. Nothing at all.

 

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Oh! He made her so frustrated! Why did he have to be so stubborn? It's not like it was that hard. It would be easy for him, for her! But no. He just had to be selfish and not do anything!

 

Sakura fumed as she paced back and forth outside the KazeKage's office door. Her fingers turned into tight fists, as the knuckles whitened around the edges. Not even the holes in the wall had relieved her anger.

 

And it was all his fault!

 

She had had enough. With no hesitation Sakura stormed into the brightly lit room, ready to give it her all.

 

“Gaara!”

 

The rusty-haired man glanced up, paper in hand as he watched her steadily.

 

Walking in so fast it could almost be considered running, Sakura jabbed her finger into his chest.

 

“Give me the damn mission!”

 

“No.”

 

“Yes!”

 

“No.”

 

Sakura screamed in frustration, “Come on! It's easy! I want to go!”

 

“No.”

 

Sakura changed tactics. Her lower lip pouted out as her eyes began to shine with tears, “But-but… Gaara… Please?”

 

“No.”

 

“But why?” She cried.

 

“Because.”

 

Sakura screamed again, “Just give me the dam mission! I want to go!”

 

“No.” He stood up, eyes narrowing slightly, “Go figure something else out to do.”

 

She finally resorted to whining again, “But I want to go to the Oasis! This is unfair!”

 

“A mission is not a vacation.”

 

“If I get it done quickly enough it can be.”

 

He was silent for another moment, and her eyes widened with hope.

 

“No.”

 

Sakura, feeling her normally suppressed rage come out, punched into the wall. Gaara quickly appeared behind her, “Stop it.”

 

She just glared at him, and forged another hole.

 

“Make me.”

 

He did.

 

She was in shock as his arms wrapped around her in a tight hug, and she felt as stiff as he acted when she did just the same thing. But somehow, though she was angrier than hell, he forced her to relax, until she brought her arms around his neck as well.

 

They were so close, and Sakura wasn't sure what happened next, whether he moved in, or she. It didn't really matter anyway. But when his lips landed on hers it was a jolt to her system. They fumbled a bit, never having done it before. But both Sakura and Gaara were quick learners, and soon learned what felt pleasurable and what didn't.

 

His lips were soft she found, soft and dry. They nibbled against hers, sucking on her lower lip until she finally opened her mouth and his tongue began to entangle with hers.

 

His hands ended up gripping her hips, moving up and down, until one latched onto a breast. Her arms were wrapped around his neck, hands entangled in cropped red hair that was near the color of dried blood.

 

He pressed her into the wall, his body's lines rubbing into her, causing her to heat up in the most unexpected of places. The area between her legs tightened, and her nipples hardened as his hand made its way under her shirt.

 

Sakura let out a high pitched moan as he began to kiss his way down her neck. His teeth were sharp, but he never bit down too hard, he never hurt her at all.

 

She ran her hands unconsciously down his front, palming his chest muscles and massaging his abs. quickly she began to fumble with all the straps holding his clothes together.

 

They were cut short though as the door burst open revealing a very shocked Kankuro. Gaara released a feral growl in his direction as Sakura jumped away, a blush more vibrant than her hair quickly spreading across her face.

 

“Oh… sorry for interrupting.” The painted-face boy left, closing the door behind him. The couple didn't miss the smirk though, nor the thumbs up in Gaara's direction. Not even the “Keep going where you left off-” was missed.

 

The moment was over though. Gaara straitened, and Sakura fancied she say a little red on his cheekbones as well, though she would never say anything about it. Instead she asked another question.

 

“So… can I go?”

 

“No.”

 

Damn.

 

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A/N: Well, her you go. Thank `SasukesoOoFlower' for being a beta. She has helped me edit, and inspired me to go over my work. She also edited my fic Forbidden, which I forgot to mention. I hope you liked this, though it is not the last chapter. Maybe two or three more to go… who knows?

 

Reviews make me feel better, so please do so. Also, indicate whether you would like a GaaxSaku AU next, or an ItaxSaku in the review. I was planning on doing the AU, but then Itachi hit me in the forehead with inspiration (and a senbon) so I am in a quandary (Gaara is on the other side of my mind with bloodshot eyes, a feral grin, a whole shit-load of bloody sand) and I cant decide, so please help me.

 

By the way, if you read the story Forbidden please tell me your thoughts. I never expected to do something even remotely like that; it is a far cry from my normal writings. And that was almost plain smut, too, which I have never done before. It was smutty love. Heh.

 

Well, until next time…

 

emeraldoni