Naruto Shippuden Fan Fiction ❯ Healing a pained heart ❯ Deeper meaning ( Chapter 3 )

Sakura has always liked staying in the tub for hours and enjoy a hot bath. The kind of bath that burns all your worries and stress and leaves you light like a leaf. But there wasn’t time for this type of muscle relaxing bath right now. She quickly showered and put on a dark green dress that reached her ankles. It had long loose sleeves that covered half the length of her fingers. It was a simple dress without cleavage and it wasn’t tight either. She tied a thin golden belt around her waist and put on a pair of shoes matching the color of the gown. She didn’t do anything about her pink hair. Sakura knew the weather is cold in the desert, so she was careful to pick a thick outfit. She swallowed 2 pills and got out the door. Her steps lead her to the living room, where she saw Gaara, sitting on the sofa with his right arm resting against the couch and his head facing the ceiling.

            Is he sleeping?

She slowly approached him from behind, like a cat, without making any sound. She was right above his face when he suddenly opened his eyes. She freaked out and took 2 steps back, like a crab. “I thought you were sleeping.” She stuttered.

“No, I was just resting my eyes.” He stood up and turned around to face her. Gaara looked at her chest first; the he studied her from her toes to face. She looked pretty. Green fit her well. When his eyes met hers, his mind went blank. He knew from books women have the power to erase men’s thoughts.

“So, where are we going?” Sakura asked.

“Do you have any preferences?”

“I don’t know anything around Suna.”

“Yes, right. Sorry. Let’s go where I always eat.” He mentally slapped himself for his goofy mistake. I mustn’t mess this up.

Sand started swirling around them until they were completely enveloped in it. It felt like a hat too big for your head. Sakura felt her stomach going down, like she was lifted from the ground. She wasn’t scared though. Gaara’s face gave her a sense and peace and security and her shoulders relaxed. They were in front of a restaurant in no time. It was an atypical building with walls made of double sided glass. Someone from the inside could observe everything on the outside, but if you were outside, you couldn’t see anything. He walked in first, followed by her. The owners quickly came to greet their Kazekage, who looked lean and fierce, yet when he spoke to people, his kindness betrayed him. They sat down at a table, face to face. She took a minute to observe the beige curtains hung above the windows, sandy soft carpet under her feet,  variety of lanterns hanging from the ceiling. Some were big, others were small, but all of them were white and emitted a warm orange color in the room. Some were closer to the ceiling, others closer to the floor. There was even a small flower pot on their table. It reminded Sakura of Ino’s flower shop. This was the ideal place for a reserved, taciturn person. It looked like it suited Gaara’s personality so it’s understandable that he came here often. At least that’s what she thought.

The waiter came to their table and bowed respectfully to both of them and anxiously waited for instructions. The red haired man ordered Kaiseki ryori for the both of them. He knew it contained multiple side dishes of various taste. Some of them were served in Konoha, too. If Sakura didn’t like the Sunan food, she would still have the Konoha option. If he ordered only one type of food, there was a big chance she didn’t like it. He couldn’t risk creating a bad impression on their first meal together. Thus, it seemed like the most successful approach.

When the waiter was about to go back to the kitchen, Sakura spoke to Gaara:

“Sumimasen, can I have a chamomile tea, please?”

Gaara nodded, of course.

The waiter bowed again and took his leave. The Kazekage rested his elbows on the table and clasped his hands together before he sat his head on them. Sakura had her hands in her lap, twiddling her thumbs. There was a pregnant silence in the air. They looked at each other awkwardly, neither of them knowing what to say. They both open their mouths to start the conversation and stop when they realize it. She insisted that he goes first.

“I think apricots are in bloom this month in Konoha.”

“Yes, you are right.”

“I intend to bring a cargo to Suna for Shinki. He has never tasted them before.”

That’s so cute. She thought and smiled mysteriously.

“Shinki and Shikadai seem to be of the same age.”

“Yes, he is 4 years old. I will enroll him in the Ninja Academy by the end of this year. Until then, I train him at home for as long as I can. When I first met him, he couldn’t control his powers at all, but now, he managed to create his own iron sand armor. He made it look like a coat; I guess he wants to be cool like the other kids.” Gaara explained proudly.

The waiter came back with Sakura’s tea and took away the plant on their table. Gaara noticed she looked at the plant with longing, but didn’t say anything. She started sipping from her cup and the conversation continued just as before.

“Impressive. I am sure Shinki will be just as smart as his father. From the way you described him, he must be a precocious child.” Sakura said with admiration.

Gaara felt pride making him swell like a puffer fish.

“Actually I meant to ask you to please be patient with him. He is very shy and reserved with people he doesn’t know. He will keep you at arm’s length until he gets used to you. His parents abandoned him and this hurt him a lot emotionally. A few days after I brought him home with me, I stepped into his room. Shinki was on the floor, lying on his side with his back to me. His arms were crossed on his chest and there was a drawing in the shape of a woman surrounding him. I assumed it was his mother. The contour was made of sand, so I assumed he made it. I have started training with him since then because I wanted to get his mind off of these thoughts.”

Sakura felt sadness creeping in her belly and she was suddenly afraid this conversation was taking a down turn, so she decided to change the topic to a more cheerful one.

“Being a parent must be very difficult. When Kankurou and I met at the gates, he told me he has a girlfriend. Is he going to be a father, too? “She asked a bit amused.

Gaara laughed from the bottom of his heart. The kitchen staff was shocked. They have never seen the Kazekage laugh like that before. He was known to be very quiet.

“No, I think she is turning his head into mashed potatoes as we speak. Did he tell you how they got engaged? Just thinking about this gives me a headache.” He seemed rather cheerful. She shook her head and she let her eyes tell him to keep going with the story.

“It’s good there is a doctor in here then, isn’t it?”

The waiter came back with their food. Both Sakura and Gaara took their chopsticks and started filling their plates.

 “Kankurou kept disappearing from his lab. Anbu reported to me that he goes to some girl’s house every day. His parents didn’t want him near their daughter, so they spoke stealthily. One day, my brother was very angry and he left the house with his puppet, Karasu. I originally thought they broke up. But then, Anbu reported to me that Kankurou sneaked into her house and stole her from her home. He hid her inside Karasu and ran away on foot. All of her relatives gathered with knives and bats running after them like they all graduated the Academy. “

She laughed wholeheartedly behind her hand. She didn’t want to look ungraceful.

“All of your family members are so romantic: Temari teaches Shikadai how to caress a girl, your brother marries without the bride’s parents’ consent and you...”

“Me?” This is getting interesting.

Sakura shied away and pretended she didn’t hear him.

“Did they get married? Did the girl agree to this?”

The red haired man was internally happy he made her blush and continued:

“We are not savage; of course he made sure she wants him before he risked his career and life for her sake. Her father was prepared to sell his daughter to bring money into the house. She threatened to leave, so they locked her inside. My brother found out and brought her with him. I gave my blessings for their engagement a week ago. Two weeks prior to this, Kankurou found out her siblings threw a party to celebrate a newborn coming into their life. He went there and talked to her relatives as if nothing happened. I think her parents were so shocked, that they accepted him as groom.”

“I can’t believe this.”

“I guess my brother was the first man who wasn’t overwhelmed by her overbearing parents. He is part of their family now.”

Sakura had tears in the corners of her eyes from laughing so much.

“When he burst into my office holding her hand, I was taken aback. A smile married her face. I talked to him in private. I asked more details about her background. I wanted to make sure she’s not just a girl to him. He’s had many girlfriends by now and I knew she had a child from a previous boyfriend. I found it weird for him to get married to someone who already has a child with someone else.”

Gaara was trying the sea with his finger. He was curious what she thought about having a relationship with someone with a child. Could it be possible for him to have a relationship with Sakura in the future?

“Why would it be weird? If they have feelings for each other, the child will only be a plus to their relationship. Kids have so much love to offer. And I’ve seen your brother holding Shinki on his knees earlier today. He is father material.”

She is open to the idea. I have a chance. He smiled inwardly.

Sakura was so engulfed in the topic; she didn’t notice the trap she fell into.

Gaara tried to take some onigiri from the main plate, but Sakura playfully slapped his hand away. “This is mine.” Gaara was confused for a few seconds before he laughed contentedly. The employees were utterly shocked. Nobody has ever tried to slap their leader before, not even as a joke. They were afraid a violent scene might occur, but they didn’t know Sakura and Gaara have been friends for a long time now. And even if Gaara became violent, Sakura has always liked violent men.

“I knew you are the smart one between the two of us.”

She looked confused and sipped from her cup.

“That’s why I requested you for the mission. But first, I want to make sure I didn’t misjudge you.”

Interesting. Mind games were her thing since childhood. She would always win when competing with Ino.

“Test me, Kazekage-sama.” Sakura smirked while looking at him through her eyelashes.

Gaara was a bit annoyed by the honorifics, but he decided to let it slide for now:

“In times of war, inflation is inevitable. Thus, money loses its value daily. The bank has to print money with more zeroes on them every day. During the previous war, prices changed every 6 hours. A shopkeeper cannot change labels on all items this many times. It would generate chaos. If a mug cost 3 coins 2 days ago, now it would cost 300 coins. How do customers know how much to pay for each product? What should the shopkeepers do?”

Sakura’s face was straight. She approached the topic with a serious face. She put some thought behind her answer because she didn’t want to embarrass herself in front of the Kazekage. The question wasn’t difficult in itself, but she was a bit stressed not knowing which answer he expected to hear.

“I would relate all items’ prices to the cheapest one in the store. If a mug costs 3 coins, a pot costs 6 coins and a table 12 coins, it means the pot is twice the price of the mug and the table is 4 times. Then I would transform the price from coins into points for each object. The mug gets 1 point, meaning the pot gets 2, while the table gets 4 points. Write all the prices in terms of points. All the shopkeeper has to do is announce how much 1 point is in coins. If, at some point 1 point equals 10 coins, the cost of the pot is 20 coins, while that of the table is 40. Isn’t that right, Kazekage-sama?” Sakura asked very pleased with herself.

Gaara felt exasperation engulfing him.

“Please, call me Gaara. And yes, your answer is surprisingly accurate.”

Sakura had a proud smirk on her face. A smile broke through Gaara’s composure and he continued:

“You have just proved I chose the right person for this job. As you already know, Sunagakure is located in a fortified valley behind cliffs, with a passage in and out of the village, making the area only susceptible to air attacks. We can easily overcome an attack from the ground, but the air is a different problem.”

“Yes, I remember that’s how Deidara and Sasori attacked your village years ago.”

“I suspect we have been under attack for a while now. Citizens reported kites with dubious containers attached to them, appearing on the sky out of the blue. We found out white powder has been sprayed into our air through them. At first, we thought it is the joke of a child, but we quickly had to give up this idea. I want to know the effects of this powder on our land and water before deciding what to do further. I am especially concerned about our water supply. Water is of great importance in the desert. I need you to test everything you need in order to determine the exact contents of these kites and what their purpose is. I am counting on you.”

“I understand. I can start tomorrow.”

“Sure. I will show you all the places these kites were seen. I will assign an Anbu officer to you.” Sakura was frowning, so he quickly added: “I am aware you are perfectly capable of looking after yourself. You are the strongest woman I know. I have to do this because the daimyo wouldn’t be pleased to find out a foreign ninja is here without an escort. I apologize, you won’t even see him. He will be instructed to only show himself if you are in danger or if you ask him to. Otherwise, he will hide in the shadows.” Ironic considering the world’s brightest place in the Ninja World had soldiers hiding in shadows.

Great, another person I have to hide from.

“Sure, I understand. You can count on me.”

He nodded, and then he looked at her plate. She barely ate anything.

“Oh, you eat like a bird. Maybe you didn’t like the food? If you don’t like it, I can order something else.”

“No, no. There’s no need. I like the food. I think I have an upset stomach from travelling. I’m ok, no need to worry.”

Her answer seemed plausible. Gaara took out his wallet to pay and Sakura did, too. Gaara shove her hand away insisting that he pays for the dinner. He got ready to leave, but she remained seated in her chair. He looked back at her and asked

“Is everything alright?”

“Yes, don’t worry.” And she got up, but even so, she walked slowly behind him. The owners bowed respectfully to their leader, and then to her, expressing their gratitude for choosing to dine there and asking them to come again.

Maybe Sakura is tired. I should get her home.

Gaara grabbed her by the shoulders with his left hand and his sand brought them back to the house. He led her to her room and wished each other “Good night”. Gaara went to Shinki’s room. He opened the door and found his son sleeping with his back to the door. Gaara got closer to the bed and hummed a song. He always did this so Shinki knew not to be afraid. The little boy lifted his head and looked over his shoulder. Gaara sat down on the bed, put his feet under the blanket and his right arm under the little boy’s head. Gaara’s head was resting on the pillow. Shinki curled into a ball next to him and fell asleep with his head on his father’s shoulder. “Papa” Gaara’s heart melted when he heard the whisper leaving his son’s lips and gently squeezed Shinki against his chest. Someone depended on his love and care, which was what he always wanted: his life to be important for somebody else. Gaara’s existence finally had meaning. And everything would be perfect if only he had a girlfriend who could also serve as a mother to Shinki. No matter how much Gaara tries to be a good dad, there are certain things only a mother can offer.